


The Edge Between Love and Hate

by GoingInside



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Complete, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, F/M, Gen, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 02:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 147,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14534526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoingInside/pseuds/GoingInside
Summary: Raven almost brought about the destruction of the Earth once. He was sent to make sure she could never do it again. But, in a twist of fate, Brand finds himself linked to the Titan's destiny, fighting for his own place in a world he doesn't understand."It doesn't exist. It never did. It was a lie." A story about the thin line between love and hate.





	1. Deadly Weapons I: Weapon

" _You're afraid of me..."_

" _No. I'm afraid of you finding out the truth."_

* * *

"They're not ready," the first man said, resigned and shaking his head at the monitors in his dim, tiny control room. "The fifth team isn't good enough. We should be waiting for team six."

The second man didn't even spare the first a glance. "We've waited long enough," he said, his voice gruff. "We've wasted too much time, too much money, and this project is only the most minor of what we have cooking."

"That's why it's so important to hold off!" The first man insisted. "This is the foundation for so much of what The Project is trying to accomplish! If we can't get this right, then we'll never finish with the Ulti -"

A red light began blinking on the console in front of the pair. "What's that?" The second man asked.

"Something's wrong with Number Three," the first man said, leaning forward to peer at the displays, typing a few commands into his computers. "He's not waking up." He shook his head again. "This is what I'm talking about, General. Problems like this can spiral out of control. Chaos theory." The red light stopped blinking. "There he goes..."

The second man grunted. "See? No problem."

"Sir, I still don't think -"

"What do you suggest, Doctor?" the military man asked. "You know what team five's mission is. Do you want to wait? What if we wait _too_ long? There won't be any team six. There won't be any Project. There won't be _anything_."

The first man sighed. "The director won't be happy."

"Waller is never 'happy'," the general said dismissively, waving away the comment. "Worst case scenario, we get valuable field data. Best case, we get field data and kill the target."

The target. Such a clinical name. But the first man was a man of science. He understood the need to take emotion out of equations such a these, the need to think about the results in abstracts and not terms like "girl", or "superhero". That didn't mean he didn't know exactly what the general meant when he said "target".

With another glance at his monitors and a shiver, the first man nodded. He wished the fifth team the best in their mission:

To kill a sixteen-year-old named Raven.

* * *

"You already had an entire disgusting all-meat pizza all to yourself, why should I give you a slice of mine?" Beast Boy protested, holding the pan of steaming pizza at arms-length to protect his food from his friend Cyborg.

Unfortunately for the green-haired and green-skinned changeling, the half-robot had over a foot of height over him and the associated reach to go with it. Beast Boy grimaced, and his own limbs lengthened, taking on the aspect of some kind of chimpanzee or other simian to move the pie further away. "Come on, BB," Cyborg pleaded, "You're just a little guy, you don't need to eat that whole thing."

Beast Boy was unmoved. "Dude, I'm still a growing boy, I need to eat the whole thing way more than you do. Besides, you don't even _like_ non-dairy cheese pizza!"

"Does it still have sauce and crust?" Cyborg asked. Beast Boy nodded glumly. "Then I still want it."

Another voice interrupted the two Teen Titans. "Friends, either of you are welcome to some of my pizza," Starfire said brightly. All four of the other figures sitting around the table glanced down at the alien girl's entrée, which was, unsurprisingly, covered in mustard, a condiment the red-headed extraterrestrial had grown quite fond of... perhaps _too_ fond.

Cyborg raised a hand to ward off the offering of mustard-covered pizza, looking nearly as green as his younger friend. "No thanks, Starfire."

"Here, Cyborg," Robin said from beside Starfire, pushing a tray towards his second-in-command that had two glorious slices on it. "I think I can spare this much."

Cyborg turned his attention away from the shape-shifter, eager to claim this gift. "Aw, yeah!" He exclaimed, a broad smile splitting his dark face. Beast Boy sighed in relief and began eating his own pizza as quickly as he could before the bionic Titan could steal any.

Looking on, Raven couldn't help but feel it was all so... _normal._ As normal as any scene could be where five costumed, teenage superheroes, only one of whom had no powers, sat around an outside table at their favorite pizza place on a clear September afternoon. A shape-shifting boy, an alien girl, a half-machine, a half-demon, and the sidekick of one of the world's greatest heroes... and yet they had become almost a family. A family for those who had none.

Or didn't want the ones they had.

Raven sighed internally. She had almost been in a good mood, although one wouldn't know it to look at her impassive face. It was a peaceful day, she was out with her friends, and there was no storms on the horizon, literally or figuratively. Sure, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were testing her patience in various ways, as they did everyday, but that wasn't unusual. It was, in fact, often the reason she would agree to go out on these little excursions: It was a good way for her to test her self-control.

But thoughts about family – as momentarily pleasant as they could be – always soured her mood. Her family... her real family, was something Raven didn't like thinking about. Her mother, Arella, was a woman who had been seduced by an evil cult. And her father... her father was Trigon, the demon who raped Arella, all for the purposes of bringing forth a mortal child who would help him conquer the world.

Raven was that child.

Destined to help bring about her father's dark reign. Destined to destroy the world she had grown to enjoy and the friends she had grown to love. She closed her violet eyes.

" _The gem was born of evil's fire. The gem shall be his portal."_

 _No!_ she thought. _We defeated my father... my destiny is my own now._

"Raven?" Robin's gentle inquiry brought the dark-haired girl out of her reverie. She shifted her gaze to the masked hero. Even through the opaque lenses of his mask, Raven could see the concern in his eyes. "You okay?"

Raven shook her head. "It's nothing." But of course it wasn't "nothing". And Robin knew that. It was just his way of letting her know she wasn't alone. She appreciated it more than she had ever said, but she still never took advantage of the implicit offer to confide in him. The others had their own pain, their own problems, and their own joys as well. No need to darken everyone else's day with her own drama.

The Titans' leader nodded his understanding – both of what she had and had not said – and turned his dark-haired head back to watch Cyborg happily scarf down the remainder of Beast Boy's pizza. The young shape-shifter had only been able to eat half of it before giving up, and Raven wondered why he had even bothered protecting it so fervently. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robin take Starfire's hand under the table and squeeze. The Tamaranean smiled and leaned into him. The two had been growing increasingly close since the Titans had returned from Tokyo, only a month ago now.

 _They're happy,_ Raven thought. _I should be, too._ But thoughts of her father had darkened her mood. She marveled the other Titans could live every day so relatively care free. All of them had suffered terrible losses. Cyborg had had most of his physical body destroyed in a car crash*, replaced by cybernetics. Starfire had lost both parents and had a younger brother missing somewhere out in the galaxy, not to speak of the sister that had tried to kill her multiple times. Beast Boy, appearances to the contrary, had suffered as much as anyone, having almost died of a rare tropical disease and then losing his parents in a flood shortly thereafter. And then there was Robin, who had lost his entire family one terrible night in a tragic accident.

But they had all bounced back. Instead of sliding into darkness and melancholy, they had come together and formed a new family, created new bonds to replace those that had been lost. And they had accomplished so much good since then.

"You know, I could've taken the rest of that home, Cy," Beast Boy complained.

Raven leaned forward, interjecting herself into the argument. "Like all the other food you bring back and leave untouched in the fridge for three months until I have to throw it away myself?"

The young changeling had the gall to act offended. "You did that? I was saving it for later!"

"I'll apologize if you can tell me what 'it' was."

"Uh... lemme see..." Beast Boy considered for a moment before slumping his shoulders in surrender. "Okay, you win."

Raven glared at him. "No, I'm serious. What _was_ it?"

"It was... very colorful," Starfire supplied.

Cyborg shook his head, popping the last piece of pizza into his mouth. "I guarantee you it didn't start out that color."

"And it definitely didn't start out with all the fuzz on it," Robin finished. He pointed at Beast Boy. "Raven shouldn't have had to clean up after _your_ mess."

The shape-shifter's hands raised in protest. "It's not like I asked her to," he said.

Violet eyes glowered at him. "You didn't have to. If that whatever-it-was had stayed in the fridge any longer, my life would have been in danger." Beast Boy looked like he was about to give in, so Raven opened her mouth to deliver the coup de grâce when a shiver of premonition ran through her.

Without warning, a long-handled spear crashed through the table Titans had been sitting at, sending half-eaten pizza and nearly-empty soft-drinks flying in all directions. The spear stood there, quivering from the force of the throw that had delivered it, and the five Titans stared at it in shock. A shadow appeared over the table and they looked up to find the figure of a large man silhouetted against the bright blue sky as he leapt towards them.

Instantly, Robin was in leader mode. "Titans, scatter!" All five teens leapt back, clearing the area in an instant.

Just in time. The man landed next to the weapon, destroying the remainder of the table. Other patrons, reacting less swiftly than the Teen Titans, began screaming and running away. The man paid them no attention. He pulled the spear out from the floor of the seating area and brandished it. He was huge, taller than Cyborg if not quite as broad, dressed in black pants, a red shirt, and a sable jacket of a vaguely military cut. His eyes were an icy, glacial blue, but his most striking feature, even more than his size, was his close-cropped white hair. Not silver, not gray, but white.

Before anyone could say anything, two more figures leapt down next to the first. One was a female with hair down to her waist and a curved sword with an elaborate hilt hanging from her waist. The other was another male, this one about as tall as Starfire, shaggy-haired and pulling a sword from the sheath on his back. All three wore the same uniform, and all three had the same cold eyes and white hair.

"Uh... who are these guys supposed to be?" Beast Boy asked, crouching at the outer edge of the circle the Titans had instinctively formed, his voice cracking slightly with nervousness.

Cyborg raised an arm, shifting it into its sonic cannon form. "Don't know, but they ruined lunch. They're asking for a butt-kicking."

Surprisingly, it was the female – the smallest of the three - who stepped forward to address the superheroes. "We are Weapon," she said, her voice calm and clear. "We are here for the one called Raven." She paused for a moment. "We will allow the rest of you an opportunity to leave now... I suggest you take it." Her eyes sought the teenage sorceress where she floated, hood drawn up, dark power gathered at her fingertips. Raven stared back, surprised at the hatred in those icy eyes, but meeting it with her own cold gaze.

Robin produced his staff and extended with a flourish, settling into a fighter's stance. "What do you want with Raven?" he asked defensively.

The shorter of the two males rolled his eyes. "Too much talking already. Let's just take 'em all out."

Raven made a mental note of how the female's lip twitched at her companion's outburst. Any conflict in "Weapon's" team was something that could be taken advantage of. Nonetheless, the white-haired girl inclined her head slightly in agreement.

"Fine," she said, and the trio exploded into action, darting forward so quickly they almost seemed to disappear from one spot and appear in another.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted. He raised his staff just in time to intercept a lightning-fast drawing slice from the female Weapon's saber. The two combatants were a blur of motion, weapons clanging together in a metal cacophony.

Starfire swooped towards the spear-wielder, hands and eyes glowing with the green energy of her starbolts. "You will not harm my friend," she cried. The big man dodged, faster than he looked, and spun the haft of his weapon into the alien's midsection, using his leverage to toss the Tamaranean into the wall of a nearby building. The alien girl crashed through the building with a yelp.

Meanwhile, the third Weapon was sprinting towards Raven, sword held in one hand, weaving and dodging an evasive course as Cyborg fired blast after blast from his sonic cannon, sending pavement and pieces of tables and chairs flying in all directions. "Any idea why they're after you, Rae?" Cyborg asked, throwing the question over his shoulder.

"Not a clue," Raven answered. "Maybe we should ask them nicely." With a wave of her hand, she sent some of the bigger pieces of debris flying towards her assailant. Without skipping a step, the young man whirled in mid-air, his sword flashing, neatly dividing the broken tables and sending them clattering away. He landed with a feral grin on his face.

He waved a finger at the dark-cloaked girl. "Gotta' do better than that," he sneered. His victory was short-lived, however, as Beast Boy, in the form of a ram, charged the Weapon, catching him in the stomach and sending him skidding across the ground.

The green changeling morphed back into human form. "Is that good enough?" he asked cockily, before transforming into a gorilla and spinning to grapple with the big lance wielder.

Raven reached out with her mind, sensing the network of pipes and cables under the ground, providing power and water to all the surrounding buildings. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she cried, gesturing. The pipes and wires burst from the ground and entangled the largest Weapon. Only for a moment, however, as the female disengaged from Robin long enough to cut her associate's bonds with a double flick of her sword.

 _Not good,_ Raven thought. _They're working as a unit_. She knew from experience that two fighters working together were more than twice as dangerous as two opponents working separately. It was a good percentage of the Titans' own strength.

Only one of the mysterious fighters didn't seem to have gotten the message. Across the way, she noted that Cyborg had managed to grab hold of the third Weapon. _Well he's out of the fight_ , she commented to herself wryly.

* * *

Cyborg seemed to agree. "Give it up, man, no human can get out of the 'Full Cyborg' hold!"

The Weapon grinned. "Oh, really? Well then you better hold on real tight." He strained against the metal limbs that held him, and, shockingly, Cyborg's arms began to pry apart. The bionic Titan wasn't using his full power – or else he would have crushed the young man – but the Weapon's strength caught him by surprise just enough that the white-haired youth was able to spring free.

Striking like a snake, the Weapon swung the sword he still held in one hand at the half-man, half-machine. Cyborg raised a titanium limb, catching the flat of the sword on the gleaming forearm with a clang. Wrenched from the would-be assassin's grip, the sword spun out of his hand and stuck into the ground twenty feet away. The young man leapt back, disarmed.

"I gotta' admit... you caught me by surprise, kid," Cyborg said, "but unless you're strong enough to punch through steel, you might want to reconsider what you're doing."

The white-haired young man chuckled and raised his hands into a fighting posture. His fists flexed behind the armored padding that covered his knuckles. "Let's find out," he said, and charged.

* * *

Robin leapt above a low slash, riposting with one end of the metal staff he wielded with expert skill. The strike was blocked easily by the young woman facing him. _She's a real fighter_ , Robin thought, impressed in spite of himself. He hadn't been able to break away long enough to assist the Titans in battling the other Weapons, but he knew just from his combat sense that the white-haired girl was the most dangerous of the three. The bigger male was the strongest, but his size kept him from being as mobile as he needed to be in this kind of situation, making him just slow enough to catch a trio of starbolts on his exposed flank. As for the smaller male...

He was different.

The other Weapons were cold, almost mechanical in their precision and prowess, barely talking. Robin hadn't even heard the big one make a single noise. The other young man, though, kept stopping to taunt and challenge. And laugh. He was _laughing_ as he fought.

Robin shook his head mentally. It was good for the young Weapon that he was enjoying himself, because the lead Titan knew instinctively he would be the one that went down first. But would it be enough? He watched the spear-wielder rise and aim a thrust at Raven, who blocked the strike that would have skewered her with a wall of black magical energy before countering with a telekinetically thrown mailbox.

That was the real problem.

The former side-kick of the legendary Batman was confident in his team, but Weapon was playing for keeps. They hadn't said as much, but they were here to kill Raven.

 _Kill_ her.

And all it would take was one moment of distraction. One lucky shot. One inch of miscalculation. Robin wondered who had sent the trio... This didn't seem like Trigon's work. The HIVE? There was a certain similarity to another evil trio the Titans had battled in the past, but no. The Brotherhood of Evil, maybe. That group was constantly adding new threats to their roster. But why go after Raven specifically?

The female Weapon attacked with a sudden flurry of slashes and kicks, and all time for quiet consideration was gone. Robin was forced back, foot by foot as the girl pressed her advantage. She was stronger and faster than any normal human in addition to her impressive combat prowess. One slash bifurcated the collapsible bo-stave and Robin dropped it, producing two special birdarangs from his utility belt and locking them together at the "wing". He pressed a button on the combined implement and a blade extended from the makeshift handle, forming a sword.

For the first time, the female Weapon smiled, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the blade Robin now held. "Oh, very good," she said quietly. The white-haired young woman stepped forward and slashed at the lead Titan, who caught the attack on his own blade, locking the two together.

"Why are you doing this?" Robin ground out between grit teeth, straining to hold the stronger fighter back. But the brief glimpse of humanity was gone, and the Weapon girl's face was impassive once again. He was giving way before the unyielding pressure of his opponent's blade, sliding backwards along the ground, edging towards the wall where his options for countering or dodging would be limited.

The Weapon's hair suddenly seemed to be haloed in green light and Robin gave her a hard smile. "Robin!" Starfire cried, and the sword-wielding young woman's face contorted in surprise and pain as emerald energy engulfed her. She spun away from the attack and Robin had breathing space again.

"Thanks, Star," he said feelingly, looking at the alien girl for a lingering moment, watching as the wicked glow faded from her eyes.

She stared back at him, a small smile lingering at the corners of her own lips. "Are you uninjured?"

Robin waved off her concern. "I'm okay, but..." He raised his voice. "Regroup Titans!"

* * *

Her eyes glowing, Raven gestured, sending the smaller of the two Weapon males flying into the larger one. She had just pulled the young man off of Cyborg. It turned out the Weapon _couldn't_ punch through steel, but the fact he was still standing was testament to his skill. He had evaded Cyborg's attacks, which would have taken him out of commission for sure, while delivering a few stinging blows of his own. That in itself was disturbing enough, but what made it worse was that he seemed to be having so much fun.

Something about the young man's attitude resonated deep within Raven, in the demon part of her psyche. It was bloodlust. It was the thrill of the chase, the adrenaline of the fight, the exhilaration of combat.

She hated it.

"Regroup, Titans!" Robin shouted from near the ruined entrance to the restaurant. Raven felt a moment of guilt at the damage the fight had already caused, but there was a special fund kept for just these situations to clean up collateral damage. Still, she pitied the owners, who were guilty of nothing but allowing Jump City's resident superhero team to patronize their establishment. This was their reward.

Cyborg sent a few blasts from his sonic cannon, giving the other Titans covering fire as they gathered around their leader. Raven herself used her powers to teleport the twenty feet to the others' side. She noted with a twinge of concern that they were all breathing hard. The Weapons were pushing them to their limit.

Robin threw a series of gas balls and explosive devices, adding to the confusion wrought by Cyborg's arm cannon and giving them a little more time. "What's the plan, boss man?" Cyborg asked, sonic still at the ready, aiming through the smoke.

"These guys are more dangerous than we thought," Robin admitted. "We've been on the defensive this whole time, but we're about to change that." He hesitated, then turned to his dark-cloaked teammate. "But first... I'm sending you back to the tower, Raven."

The sorceress narrowed her eyes. "No," she said flatly, without hesitation.

"They're after _you_ ," the boy wonder insisted. "All they have to do is get in one lucky shot and you'll be dead, and in the meantime, we're reacting to what they're doing instead of the other way around." The tempo of his words increased. "We're running out of time. I'm not putting this up for a vote, I'm _ordering_ you back to Titans' Tower."

Raven pursed her lips, her cloak closing in tighter around her. It was unthinkable. Running away while her friends were in danger? She remembered how it felt when they were trying to protect her from Slade, who had been commanding Trigon's fire demons in an attempt to reach her, to make her fulfill her destiny. She remembered how helpless she had felt as they gave everything they had and more to save her.

She felt a hand on her arm and almost flinched away. "He is right, Raven," Starfire said softly. "With you here, we are all in danger, you most of all." Raven's amethyst eyes looked around the small circle of her friends. Robin was determined, Starfire worried. Beast Boy and Cyborg gave her supportive nods. She looked across to Robin again and inclined her head in acknowledgment.

"Call me if you need me," she demanded. "I can take care of myself, believe it or not."

A faint smile appeared on Robin's face. "Believe me, I know you can," he said, and turned away. "I'm counting on it," he continued, quieter.

Raven was about to ask what he meant, but was interrupted by Beast Boy. "Here they come!" The smoke was clearing and the Weapons stood ready, waiting them out. As one, they brandished their weapons and charged.

"Teen Titans, go!" Robin yelled, raising his birdarang sword and leading the counter-charge.

The battle was joined, harsh cries and the clash of weapons echoing through the street. Raven hesitated, the feeling of _wrongness_ strong in her. She shouldn't abandon her friends at a time like this. "What are you waiting for?" Robin shouted, grunting as he fended off the female Weapon's sword. "Get out of here!"

"Oh no you don't!" came the answering voice. The smaller male leapt out of the melee, twirling his recovered blade in one hand and darting towards Raven. Beast Boy moved to intercept him, shifting into a velociraptor. The Weapon didn't hesitate. He reached out with one hand and grabbed the changeling by the saurian throat, lifting him up and slamming him into the pavement. "Not this time, Green!" he hissed.

Raven reacted without thinking. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A nearby car was encompassed by dark energy and flew through the air to slam into the Weapon, sending him tumbling head over heels towards the teenage sorceress, collapsing in a heap nearby.

"Go, go!" Cyborg shouted. Raven grit her teeth, but the insane attack of the young man lying crumpled at her feet was proof enough that Robin had been right. With a last, pained glance at the battlefield, she opened her soul-self, creating a portal back to Titans' Tower, the T-shaped building the Teen Titans used as base of operations. Just before the portal closed, she felt a tug at the hem of her cloak and saw that the sword-wielding Weapon had reached up, disoriented and barely conscious, to take hold of her. Raven's eyes widened, but it was too late. She vanished, and the young man vanished with her.

Moments after she did, the sky was darkened as legions of red and black robot drones lined up on the edges of the buildings, joining the fight against the remaining Titans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *As seen in "Teen Titans Go! (2004-2008 comic series) #45
> 
> A/N: The beginning of this chapter was re-written several times. I could never quite get it where I wanted it and even now I'm not entirely satisfied.
> 
> Only Lance's name remained unchanged from the first draft. Brand was originally "Edge", but there were too many negative connotations (like "Edgelord"), and the name Brand works better in ways that won't really be revealed for a very long time. Saber's original name was "Katana" (and wielded a matching weapon), but I remembered there was already a prominent Katana in DC Comics, a member of Batman's Outsiders team.


	2. Deadly Weapons II: Brand

Raven waited for fifteen excruciating minutes. The first five were spent disarming and imprisoning her unwanted passenger. There were temporary holding cells midway up the tower that would contain the would-be assassin... for now, at least. "Away from the upper and lower entrances," Robin had said when they were installed, thinking tactically as always, making any breakout attempt more difficult. While the Weapon had remained conscious long enough to grab the sorceress's dark blue cloak, the stress of the teleport had put him down for the count. Just as well for him. In the mood she was in, Raven wouldn't have been merciful in a fight.

The remaining ten were spent pacing back and forth in the entryway to the tower, communicator in her hand, waiting for either the return of her friends or a message.

Neither happened.

After that small eternity, Raven finally flicked open her communicator and attempted to call the other Titans. First Robin, then down the list to Cyborg, Starfire, and even Beast Boy. No one answered. She forced herself to wait another five minutes before trying to call again. Only static greeted her. She grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut and, with a supreme effort of will, kept herself calm.

_Okay, no one's answering and they haven't come back, but that doesn't mean that something's gone wrong,_ she thought, hoping her feeling of dread was just paranoia. It wouldn't be the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. But there was only one way to be sure. Quickly, she looked in on her "guest" and found him still unconscious. She double-checked the locks on the holding cell, finding them secure. Raven was taking no chances with the Weapon.

Taking a deep breath, she extended her soul-self and opened a bird-shaped portal back to the battlefield. She knew at once that her earlier instinct had not been mere paranoia. Something was _very_ wrong. There was no sign of either the Titans or the Weapons, but there were a dozen dismembered robot drones scattered across the neighborhood. They were all colored in the distinctive red and black that her assailants had worn, marking them as enemies.

Raven floated through the combat zone, her breathing harsh and heavy in her own ears, fearing the worst. The robots must have joined the fight after she had left. The Titans would have been heavily outnumbered. She took no comfort in the fact that her teammates had sold themselves dearly in spite of the disparity in forces. Even if she had found the Weapons neatly trussed and bound, it would mean little if her friends had been injured or killed doing so.

Fortunately, there was no blood on the ground, and none of the mechanical debris matched Cyborg's tech. _That's good,_ Raven thought, her breathing easing slightly. _That's good, it means they were safe... right up until they disappeared._ Okay, it sounded less encouraging when she phrased it like that.

But where were they _now_? That was the question. She spent another several minutes canvassing the area, speaking to police and trying to find witnesses, but the civilians had cleared out as soon as deadly weapons had made an appearance. Raven couldn't fault their survival instinct, but it was not helpful at this moment. Her powers told her little more, her emotions too scattered and uncertain to allow her the necessary focus to get clearer impressions about what had happened.

The conclusion was inescapable, ineluctable, and inevitable, but Raven had to exhaust all other avenues first. Her friends had been captured. They were being held prisoner as bait to draw their true target to their location, where the Weapons would kill her at their leisure. It was a simple plan, no worse for having been used many times before. Weapon must've known that she could hold up in the Tower indefinitely, and – even if they managed to get past the security systems – her teleportation powers would allow her to slip away easily. This really was their best option to get her out in the open and keep her there. To make her fight on their ground, by their terms.

"Fine," Raven murmured. "If they want me, they'll get me. They don't know what I can do." Her magic, her telekinesis, her teleportation... these powers only scratched the surface of what her demonic heritage allowed. Of course, if she used those abilities, she'd be tapping into energies dark and terrible. But even if she unleashed her full power... would it be enough? Would she even be able to do it, knowing the possible consequences? Raven shuddered, knowing that she would risk it to save the Titans. She would have to. Her opponents held all the cards and her friends. Even once she found Weapon, she would be at a numerical disadvantage, fighting in an unfamiliar location, against enemies who wanted to kill her.

She needed a plan.

Briefly, Raven toyed with the idea of calling one of the other Titans scattered across the globe for help, but they were more often than not busy with their own adventures, and were too far away to help anyway. Every moment that passed put her friends in more danger. Weapon would not hold their hostages – especially dangerous hostages like the Titans – forever if the plan wasn't working. Kid Flash might be able to get here in time, but the impulsive youth rarely answered his communicator. Raven thought the speedster usually forgot that he even had it.

Besides, he would probably bring Jinx with him. Raven's lip twisted in a grimace, still not used to the idea of the pink haired hexer – her former rival and member of the HIVE – being a Titan, even just an honorary one. _We'll call that "Plan: Probably Not."_

Raven took a deep breath and held it for several seconds before letting it go. There was really only one way, and it was just as likely to blow up in her face as save the Titans. She returned to the tower and the holding cell where the young Weapon was lying. He still seemed to be unconscious, but odds were he just faking at this point. She didn't care. Time was running out, and she wasn't here to play games. She raised her hood and phased through the door.

He _was_ conscious, and, the instant Raven stepped fully from the door, he rose and struck, one hand cocked back for a haymaker punch. The sorceress lifted a hand and a talon of dark energy shot out from under her cloak to slam the Weapon into the far wall and hold him there. He struggled for a moment and then, strangely, the fight seemed to go out of him. He let out a bitter laugh. "Well that was it," he said, getting in the first word, probably just to annoy her. "That was my last grandstand play. It's all over now."

Raven stared at him, face impassive.

"Go on, finish me off or leave me here. It doesn't much matter anymore," he continued.

There was a long moment of silence before Raven spoke. "How about a third option?" The Weapon shrugged. Or at least he tried to, but the dark talon still held him tightly. "What's your name?" Raven asked. Nothing. Not that she expected much. She sighed. "If you don't answer, I'll just take what I want from your mind." His blue eyes narrowed, but his mouth remained closed in a deep frown. "It's not something I like doing, but you leave me no choice." She raised her other hand.

_There was a flash, and a whirl of images spun through her mind. Raven focused her energy and chose one at random._

_She saw the young man standing at attention in a large, dark chamber side by side with his compatriots. His body practically vibrated with anxious energy. Today was_ the _mission. He would get the chance to prove himself. To show the others how strong he was. No more would he suffer their contempt and mockery._

_Another flash, and she was back into the stream of memories. She chose another._

_A truck bounced its way across rough roads, rattling the cargo compartment, but the three Weapons standing within kept their balance without effort. The young man peered through the slits in the side of the truck and was nearly blinded by the light of the sun. His eyes focused and he saw the desert spreading before him. They were driving west, towards the coast. Towards Jump City. He grinned tightly. Almost time._

_The light flashed again, and -_ "Enough!" the Weapon shouted, his voice hoarse. "Get out of my head!" He was struggling again, twisting away from her as if to physically fight off her mental assault.

Raven inhaled sharply, ending the contact. "Are you ready to talk?" she asked, her voice as ragged as the voice of the would-be assassin before her. She hadn't been lying. She didn't enjoy doing that. Not only because it took a lot of energy, but because it made her feel... dirty. It was a violation. Something she didn't like doing even to someone who was as clearly an enemy as this young man was.

He stared at her sullenly before answering. "Brand."

"And the others?"

Brand looked away as if bored. "Saber and Lance. I'm sure you can guess which one is which."

_Brand, Saber, and Lance... from Weapon. Such adorable thematic naming_ , Raven thought sarcastically. "Why are you trying to kill me?"

The white-haired young man barked a laugh. "Funny. You're going to pretend like you don't know?"

Raven lowered her voice an octave, tightening the talon's grip on the Weapon. "Humor me," she said between grit teeth, already sick of dealing with the would-be assassin.

"Fine," Brand said. "I'll play along." He stared daggers at the dark-haired and dark-cloaked sorceress. "Apparently, you did something very bad a while back, like... _world-ending_ bad. Things went back to normal but there are people out there who are understandably worried about you, about what you might do, about whether it might happen again. Rather than wait and see and hope for the best, they've taken a... 'proactive' approach."

"By having me murdered," Raven finished, hearing the tremble in her own voice. She should have known. Even after his defeat, her father and her own destiny were finding fresh new ways to ruin her life. The worst part was that the Weapon was right. Anyone concerned enough to try to kill her _was_ doing it for understandable reasons. She remembered that time clearly: The destruction, the utter ruin brought forth by Trigon when he had invaded their Earthly realm. The world had been devastated, the people turned to stone, the sea turned to lava. Only through the joint efforts of the Teen Titans and their arch-enemy Slade had Trigon been turned back and the effects of his brief reign reversed.

"I notice you're not denying it."

The Titan shook her head. "It's true, but we stopped it, and I won't ever let it happen again."

"Oh, well then, my mistake. Let me go and tell my superiors, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that," Brand smirked. Raven tightened her telekinetic hold on the Weapon and was grimly gratified to hear a grunt of pain. "Witch," he muttered.

The "witch" in question ignored him. All the destruction had vanished in a blink as soon as Trigon had been banished, the city and all its people restored in that instant as if it had never happened. _I wonder how they knew it was my fault,_ she thought. _It doesn't matter. I have work to do._ She stared at Brand, weighing her options, considering the young man. He looked back at her defiantly, white locks of hair hanging over his face. "The other Weapons have taken my friends," she said at last. "They're hoping to lure me into a trap so they can kill me."

Silence stretched between them. Through the bare steel walls, they could hear the faint, ever-present hum of the massive generator that powered the sophisticated tower, but beyond that was nothing. Titans' Tower was literally an island, isolated from the city, from the noises of people and animals, and high enough on a promontory to insulate it from the sound of the surf surrounding it. For a moment, it was possible to pretend that nothing and no one existed outside this room, only the two adversaries facing off within it.

"I'm planning to walk into their trap." Her violet-eyed gaze sharpened on the young man. "And you're going to help me."

* * *

The words, spoken in an almost bored monotone, took a second to sink in. Brand snickered. Then he laughed. "I don't know which part of that is funnier," he said after he was finished. "But okay, still humoring you. First: Why would you do that? Second: Why would _I_ do that?"

Raven's eyes glowed beneath her hood. "I'm getting my friends back one way or the other," she said. "That third option I mentioned earlier? This is it. Either you help me or you can stay in here and rot."

_She doesn't know how literally she means that_ , Brand thought, almost laughing again, despite the grim nature of the thought. "So you expect me to... what? Tell you where they took the other Titans? And then you let me go?"

"Not quite," Raven said, tilting her head as she stared him down. "I want you to come with me, lead me to the location, and then we make a trade. You for them."

Brand smiled. He couldn't help himself. "You think they'll give up the Titans to get me back?"

"Will they?" Raven asked.

_Not in a million years_ , Brand thought, keeping the smile frozen on his face. His life was already forfeit. It was just a matter of time, but there was still one, slim chance of changing his fate. He could go along with the girl, take her back to HQ, then betray her and claim his capture had been part of his plan all along. It was a fool's hope. The Weapon was certain that his doom was already marching to overtake him. He could almost feel it. But a small chance was better than no chance at all. He looked around the bare metal and harsh lighting of the holding cell. _This would be a real crummy place to die_.

"Let's find out together," Brand said with a sneer. Raven inclined her head in acknowledgment of their deal, but did not release him. "What's your problem?" Brand asked. "Let me go."

Instead, the sorceress clenched her hand into a fist and the dark talon squeezed him. He hissed out a pained breath, staring balefully at the Titan. "Trying to kill me," she said, her voice resonating oddly, as if there were deeper, disturbing bass harmonics behind it, "that I could forgive. That happens every day. I can't even directly blame you for kidnapping my friends, since you were dumb enough to try attacking me on your own and got knocked out before it happened." Brand's cheeks burned at the words. Raven leaned closer. "What I won't forgive is you treating me like I'm an idiot," she growled.

Brand's jaw dropped. "I told you I'd go with you, what more do you want from me?" he shouted.

"The truth," Raven said. "But I'm not going to get it from you." She looked down at him contemptuously, amethyst eyes flashing. "I don't even have to read your mind... you have a terrible poker face. You think I can't see right through you? That I don't know you'll betray me the first chance you get?"

The Weapon grit his teeth. "Then why did you even ask? You're just wasting time for both of us."

To his surprise, the pressure on his torso lessened and he slid down the wall down to the gleaming floor. He coughed, rubbing his chest and looking sharply at the Titan girl. "I asked because I have no choice but to take you with me anyway," she said, her voice back to normal. "But I want you to know that you're not fooling me. Not for a second."

"Point made," Brand admitted, levering himself against the wall to sit up straighter.

Raven shook her head slowly. "No. Words aren't enough for someone like you." She paused. "There is one thing that might work. A way to guarantee you won't turn on me."

Brand covered his face with one hand, tired of talking, even more tired of being talked down to. "If you don't want me to treat you like an idiot, then give me the same courtesy," he ground out. "I'm assuming that if I want to go with you, you're not giving me a choice about this 'guarantee', so just tell me what it is and get it over with."

"It's called a blood chain," Raven said, stepping back and seeming to sink further into her cloak. "Basically... if I die, you die."

"And if I die?" Brand asked, wondering already if he could somehow take advantage of this new sorcery the girl was planning.

"It's a one way street," Raven responded. "I'd be unharmed."

The Weapon let out a long breath. "Convenient," he said. _This makes things more difficult, but it's either this or die here._ He stared down at the floor for a long moment. His already-slim chance had narrowed to the width of a single electron. What the Titan didn't know was that Brand was going to die, "blood chain" or not. He had nothing to lose. A smile spread across his face and he looked up. "I'm still going to try to kill you," he told her bluntly. "There's the truth you were looking for. But if you're still game, let's do this thing."

Her voice was soft and faint as she answered. "It has to be done," she said, almost to herself. "Sit back and try to open your mind."

It was against his every instinct, but Brand forced himself to comply. He briefly considered attacking her as she moved closer, but the girl was taking no chances and coils of dark energy wrapped around him again. _Oh well_ , he thought, shrugging internally, and settled back against the wall.

The last thing he remembered was seeing Raven reaching one hand towards his head, hesitating before her soft fingers brushed his temple. Then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter needed very little refinement. I had a very clear idea of what needed to happen and what I wanted to happen from the very start.
> 
> The Weapon jackets were originally red, but I realized I had a white-haired character, wielding a sword, wearing a red jacket. The Dante parallels were too strong, so - for what little good it does - I switched the color of the shirt with the color of the jacket.


	3. Deadly Weapons III: Lance

Brand watched Raven as he followed her down the halls of Titans Tower, her blue cloak swishing from side to side as she walked. His fingers twitched occasionally, his muscles tensing, fighting everything he was to not attack the girl. The after-effects of whatever the sorceress had done to connect the blood chain were helping with that, keeping his mind slow and bleary and his reflexes dull. _Or maybe it's not the blood chain. Maybe it's..._ he didn't allow himself to finish the thought. He didn't want to think about it, couldn't take the time or the energy to think about it. The Weapon still clung to the vain hope that he could slip between the jaws closing in around him and stay alive.

And all of it was due to the young woman in front of him. It was supposed to be so simple. Go in, kill the girl, and come back. Everyone would be safe, and... and what then? What was Weapon's purpose after Raven's death? More missions? More assassinations? Brand had vague memories of other missions before this one, and his training, but it all seemed so distant now. His entire life seemed to have found its focus on this day, this moment.

He shook himself mentally, angry at his own introspection. "So how do we do this?" he asked. "You teleport us straight to the entrance of the Weapon facility?" Raven didn't even look at him. _If it weren't for the blood chain, you'd pay for not watching your back,_ he thought at her.

"It's not that easy," she said. "Even if I knew exactly where I was teleporting, I couldn't move that far. It's too much of a strain." She stepped into an elevator, waiting for him to join her, then pressed the button marked "G": Garage.

"So how do we do this?" Brand repeated. He felt a moment of weightlessness as the elevator dropped before inertia settled him back down. A smile curled his lips at the absurdity of this situation. He was so close to her. So close, and he couldn't do anything. For her part, Raven continued to not even glance in his direction. Maybe she didn't want to show any fear or uncertainty in his presence, for whatever that was worth. He refused to believe that she genuinely wasn't afraid of him.

The elevator doors opened again before Raven answered. "I can fly, but we're going to need a vehicle for you. I saw in your memories that you crossed the desert, is that correct?"

"That's right," Brand confirmed, his expression souring at the thought of the sorceress invading his mind. "About 200 miles southeast from here."

Raven nodded. "The T-car only responds to Cyborg, so that's out... Can you drive a motorcycle?"

The Weapon considered. "Yeah, I can," he said. "It's been a while, but I can do it." _When was the last time?_ He wondered to himself. He couldn't even remember, it had been so long.

A set of keys levitated off the wall where they were hanging and floated towards Brand. He reached out gingerly and took them, still leery of the girl's dark powers. She pointed mutely towards a red and black motorcycle that set next to a high-tech looking blue and white car. "I like the color, but can we do something about the decals?" Brand smirked, kicking at the yellow "R" prominently displayed on the side of the smaller vehicle.

"Deal with it," Raven said flatly.

Brand looked at the girl, watching as she produced his sword from somewhere under her blue cloak. He held out his hand expectantly, but she just raised an eyebrow and shook her head before strapping it around her own back. It looked oversized on her small frame. The white-haired young man couldn't help himself. He laughed out loud until his mirth subsided in a fit of coughing.

"Something funny?" the Titan asked, sounding slightly self-conscious.

"Yes," Brand answered after the fit was over, smiling even as he wiped the back of his mouth with his hand. "Yes there is. I just did not expect that. It doesn't really suit you."

Raven glared at him. "You didn't think I was actually going to give it back to you, did you?"

"Why not? You have nothing to worry about with your fancy blood chain."

The sorceress shook her head. "Remember what we said? About not treating each other like idiots? I'm not taking any more chances with you than I absolutely have to."

"Have it your way," Brand said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go." He dropped into the seat of the motorcycle, keying the ignition and twisting the handle, revving the engine. In front of him, the large garage door began to open, bright daylight streaming through the widening crack. He didn't wait to see if Raven was ready to follow, he hit the gas and shot out of the Tower's garage, nearly flying off the bike in the process. _Damn!_ Brand thought in surprise. He had not been expecting that kind of acceleration.

He eased off the throttle a bit and Raven flew up next to him. "I should have warned you that Robin made a lot of modifications to that motorcycle," she said loudly over the sound of the wind in their ears. "Oops." She did not sound apologetic, and Brand felt his cheeks warm.

_Funny_ , he thought bitterly. He roared across the bridge connecting the tower to the mainland. He was having a hard time catching his breath. At first Brand thought it was just a combination of his earlier coughing fit along with the unexpected power of the vehicle he now rode, but as he followed the highway out of town and still couldn't quite get enough air, he suspected something more was at work.

In his head, the clock began running. _Four hours at best for us to reach Weapon HQ..._ He would be lucky to make it that long. His tiny window for success was closing fast.

As it turned out, the window was slamming shut. For the first two hours, Brand maintained a tight grip on himself, focusing on driving down the long, lonely stretch of road through the desert towards their destination, glancing only occasionally at Raven, who flew above and slightly behind him, keeping pace with the souped up motorcycle. In other circumstances, the Weapon might have amused himself by gunning the engine and testing her speed, but his appetite for mockery was gone, along with his appetite for anything else. His stomach was churning, he was light-headed, and – at times – his body was racked with thick coughs.

Anger grew inside him. One failure, that was all it took, and his masters tossed him away like garbage. No chance for redemption, for vindication, for justification, just death. The tiny nanite probe that had been put into his body when he first joined Weapon had already released its deadly cargo, infecting him with the poison. The price of failure.

The third hour of their journey began, and the coughing fits became more common, until Brand could barely keep his eyes on the road, bent over and hacking into his sleeve. Darker stains began to appear on the sable fabric. It got so bad that Raven eventually lowered her altitude to fly next to him. "What's wrong with you?" she called.

_You are_ , Brand thought angrily. _This is all your fault_. But he said nothing. He was tired. Too tired to explain, too tired to care. Eventually she floated up out of sight again, realizing that the Weapon wasn't going to respond.

As sick as he was, Brand almost missed the turn-off that led to Weapon HQ. Only the faint tire tracks of the vehicles that had passed this way before warned him, because, to all appearances, there was no road. He screeched the motorcycle to halt, managing not to throw himself off the bike, adjusted to the vehicle's abrupt acceleration and braking by now. Raven dropped down next to him, his sword still strapped to her back, and Brand waved an arm, gesturing down the nearly invisible path.

"This way?" the Titan asked skeptically.

The young man swallowed thickly. "They treated the sand. It's not as soft as it looks. Not a pleasant drive, but why start now?" His voice was a croak and his throat ached.

Raven stared at him. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong with you?"

"Maybe it's something _you_ did!" Brand growled, knowing it wasn't, but just wanting to lash out at someone. To his surprise, the Titan started guiltily at his accusation. _You don't even really care,_ he thought at her. _You just want me to stay alive along enough to complete this idiotic plan to save your friends._ He was about to say so, but another coughing fit hit him, bending him over nearly double. He stumbled several feet away and retched. His blue eyes remained closed. He didn't want to see what he had just coughed up. The taste of blood filled his mouth.

It took him a long time to stand up, and he steadfastly refused to look at Raven. Whatever expression was on her face – disgust, pity, annoyance, or, most likely, nothing at all – he didn't want to see that either. His gaze was out on the horizon, where the sky was darkening, the blue shading towards orange near where the bluffs and mesas met the desert. He saw something else there, too. A snort of bitter laughter escaped Brand's mouth, almost making him cough again.

He reached behind him blindly, his hand open. "Give me my sword," he said tiredly.

"We discussed this," Raven began.

"Just do it..." Brand sighed. His eyes were fixed on the dust cloud that was moving towards the duo and the figure in front of it, unmistakable with its size. "Lance is coming."

* * *

Raven shifted her shoulders, trying to re-distribute the unfamiliar weight of the sword on her back, followed Brand's eye-line out to the growing dust cloud down the "road" to their destination. His eyes were sharp. She could just make out the black and red figure approaching them, but she didn't doubt the Weapon's identification of its specific identity. _Why is he coming out to meet us?_ She wondered. This would make any kind of trade more difficult, but it might not necessarily be a bad thing. If she could neutralize Lance, it could shift the odds in her favor.

Assuming that Brand didn't take advantage of the situation to betray her, of course. Then again...

"Give me the sword!" he demanded, but his voice was weak and he slumped where he stood. Raven didn't know what was wrong with him or what he expected to do even if he _was_ armed, but, for better or worse, he would be a non-factor in any kind of fight. She sighed and unstrapped the sword from her back, handing it to the young man.

_If it makes him feel better_ , she thought. _And it's weighing me down anyway._

Brand pulled the sheath close and snapped it in place over his own shoulder, reaching back to wrap his hand around the hilt. Its presence seemed to lend him some strength, because he straightened up slightly. Or maybe he was just faking since Lance was approaching.

It didn't take long for the other Weapon to reach them. He was riding a motorcycle of his own, which looked almost comically undersized beneath his massive frame, and, in only a few minutes, he had swung to a stop thirty feet in front of them. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, he got off the bike and walked closer. He seemed uninjured from the battle earlier in the day. No bruises or cuts. Raven's lip twisted in a grimace. She would have expected to see some sign of a tougher battle. On the other hand, Brand's cuts and bruises had already faded, too.

_What_ are _they?_ Raven asked herself.

Finally Lance came to a stop ten feet away. "So it's true," he said in a deep voice, and Raven raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised to hear the big man speak. "The tracker showed you approaching, but I didn't believe it. You're still alive, Brand." He put a hand on his hip and a faint, mocking smile appeared on his face. "I didn't think you'd last this long."

_This is not the same Lance we fought earlier,_ Raven thought with an imperceptible shiver. Lance had barely made a noise during the battle in Jump City, hadn't said a word, had not even let out a grunt of effort or pain. His expression had never changed. It was as if he had suddenly grown a personality in the last few hours. _An unpleasant personality_.

Brand glared at his associate. "You think so little of me," he said, his voice still hoarse, but stronger than before.

"Yes, I do," Lance confirmed. "But maybe you can redeem yourself before you die by handing over the girl."

"Or what?" Raven asked before Brand could respond. "Do you think you can take me yourself?" She let a little scorn color her words. "I've faced things you can't even imagine, threats that would make your blood run cold." She shook her head underneath her hood. "It'll take a lot more than a pointy stick to bring me down."

As she spoke, Lance's mocking smile faded and an amused, if pained one, grew on Brand's face. "You see what I've had to deal with?" the shorter Weapon asked. He was pale under his shaggy white hair. "Her tongue is sharper than your spear, Lance... better watch it."

"Is that why you're out here, Brand?" Lance asked. "Did she browbeat you into coming with her?" The big man shook his head in mock sadness. "You really are a joke. You had one job and not only did you blow it... you've joined the enemy."

Brand's entire body tightened like a coiled spring, and Raven could feel the rage boiling off of him in waves. Watching the confrontation between the two, she wondered at their shared history. Whatever it was, it wasn't cheerful. "The only 'joke' is that you think you're better than me," the swordsman spat. "Big, slow, stupid... you're a real winner. Only thing you're good for is running Saber's errands."

The bigger man was unmoved. "I'm sorry, what was that?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I couldn't hear you over the sound of your failure."

Moving faster than Raven thought he was still capable of, Brand drew his sword, the sun glinting off the blade, and he swung it straight at her neck. It stopped an inch away from her throat and hung there.

Raven didn't flinch, didn't move at all. She waited, confident that, even in his current state, Brand wouldn't risk killing her.

Wind whistled across the sand, sending little eddies and whirlwinds across the road. Raven's cloak billowed out behind her. Lance blinked and uncrossed his arms slowly. "Here's your chance," Brand called across the distance to the other Weapon. "I can kill her right now, which is more than you can say. What are you offering in return?"

"Offering?" Lance asked contemptuously. "It's your job, Brand. You don't get a prize for doing your job." He spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "But I'll tell you what... give me her head and I'll give you a less agonizing death."

Brand's blue eyes glanced into Raven's violet ones. She saw his were bloodshot. He cocked back his arm, and for just a moment, Raven wondered if she had miscalculated.

Then the shorter Weapon spun and darted forward towards Lance. "Wrong answer!" he shouted and his blade sliced through the air, a diagonal cut that would take the larger man from left shoulder to right hip. In an instant, however, Lance had drawn his own weapon and used the haft to block the cut. The long-handled weapon spun and the razor sharp head whizzed forward, aimed at Brand's heart.

If Brand had been healthy, the bigger man's blow would have connected, but the swordsman had stumbled delivering his own attack and fell to the sand, coughing and choking, and the spear thrust over his back.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted, and blades of dark energy whirled through the air, most impacting harmlessly against the handle of Lance's spear as he spun it in a defensive deflection, but two made it through, stabbing deep into torso and thigh.

Lance hissed in pain, then set himself, brandishing his weapon and stomping her direction like a rhino. "You'll pay for that, Witch!" he roared. Again, Raven was struck by how different this Lance was than the one she had faced only a few hours ago. But he was still just as dangerous as before. Strong and fast, despite his size. Raven raised a wall of dark power to block one thrust, then another.

"I told you already," she said, spinning away from a cobra-quick strike. "I've taken on much worse than you!" She focused her power into one fist and punched the big man in the jaw, sending him staggering back. He growled and swung the haft of his weapon at her with all his strength. Raven blocked this blow, too, but the force of it sent her flying and the shield shattered. She rolled across the packed sand, managing to regain her feet before the tumble was ended, and a good thing, too, because Lance was right there. She twisted to avoid the deadly tip of the weapon, punching the white-haired assassin in the gut with another magic-cloaked fist, following it up with a kick from a well-toned leg that appeared from beneath her cloak delivered to the side of one of his knees.

Raven leapt away, opening some distance between herself and her assailant. She was breathing hard, but she felt a grim sense of satisfaction as well. _I'm not such easy prey, am I?_ She thought. "You don't stand a chance," she said calmly. "Three of you weren't enough to kill me. What makes you think you can do it all on your own?" She reached out with her mind, focusing it on the one expendable object she could find in the vicinity.

The big Weapon stood up to his full height, his lips peeled back in a snarl, then leaned forward and charged again. "Your friends aren't here to help you this time, girl!" he shouted. With a flexing of mental muscles, Raven tugged at the motorcycle that Lance had ridden in on, sending it flying through the air into the spear-wielder's back. The Titan's amethyst eyes flashed and a spark of magic ignited the fuel tank.

A spectacular explosion replaced the vehicle, and Lance soared through the air like a comet, streaming fire and smoke. Raven side-stepped the flying body neatly like a matador with a bull, the wind at her back now, blowing the edges of her cloak forward like two great wings. The Weapon crashed to the ground, sending a spume of sand into the air with the impact. _That's that_ , Raven thought. Before she could even take a breath, though, a glint of sunlight reflected off the tip of the spear that the Weapon had thrown from behind the curtain of sand. With a gesture, a black cloud encased it and it froze, pointed right between her eyes and even closer than Brand's sword had been.

She tossed the spear away only to find that Lance had followed his thrown weapon with enhanced speed, massive hand clenched into a fist and cocked back to beat her into the ground. _Too close!_ Raven thought, raising her hands in a defensive gesture.

A flash of black and red sped past her and she heard Lance's choked off roar in pain. She looked to find Brand on top of the bigger man, leaning heavily on his sword, which he had shoved deep into the other Weapon's chest. "Brand, no!" she cried, horrified. But even as she watched, Brand twisted his blade, and Lance gurgled, blood streaming from his mouth and the wound in his torso.

"Thank me, brother," Brand hissed. "Here's the 'less agonizing' death you promised for me!" Lance clawed at him for another moment, his blue eyes wide in shock and pain and hatred before his hands slackened and went limp. His head settled almost gently back into the blood-soaked sand.

Raven stared at the tableau before her, stunned at the ferocity and the cold-bloodedness of her traveling companion. It was such an abstraction to call him an assassin, but it was something much different to actually watch Brand murder someone before her eyes. Even she, jaded as she was, couldn't look away.

The surviving Weapon stood with an effort, wrenching his sword from the dead man's body, then turned and began stumbling into the desert, his feet dragging. Raven couldn't imagine where he thought he was going, and she was suddenly reminded of an animal wandering off to die alone. She watched him for a moment, still frozen with the horror of what she had witnessed. Brand tripped and fell, twisting to land on his back, and she could see his chest heaving as he lay there, holding on to his sword as if it were a lifeline.

The pathetic sight finally cured her of her temporary mental paralysis and she ran towards the young man. He gasped for breath in the sand, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. "Nanite," he wheezed as she knelt next to him. "Injected poison into my bloodstream." He laughed, but it turned into a cough. "I was dead the second you threw me in that holding cell."

"You idiot," Raven said, shaking her head. "You should have told me earlier. I could have healed you."

His blue eyes opened. "That's a laugh," Brand said. "Why would you heal someone who tried to kill you?"

The sorceress grit her teeth, seeing the swordsman twisting his blade in Lance's chest again. "Because I'm not like you," she said. "I save people, I don't kill them."

"Well then I guess this is what I deserve," he whispered, his lip quirking in a pained half-smile. He took a deep breath. "Just follow this road. The door's under an overhang in the bluff. It's locked, but I'm sure that won't be a problem for you. Go on and save your damn friends." His eyes closed again and he went limp, although his chest still heaved with labored breaths.

Raven sighed. The Weapon was so far gone already, and the Titans were waiting for her to rescue them. She couldn't spare the time or the energy to heal Brand. He was more than a criminal. He was a murderer. He had killed another man right in front of her. _To save you,_ she finished in the silence of her mind. _Because he believed your death would be his. This is my fault... for bringing him with me, for doing what I did._ It had been necessary, but that didn't make it right. Healing the young man wouldn't fix her decision, but at least it wouldn't compound it.

Besides, leaving him now would be tantamount to murder. If she had the power to save him, she had the responsibility to do so. That was part of being a "hero". It was the difference between the two of them, just as she had said. How could she look her friends in the eye again knowing that she had sacrificed a man's life for convenience to save them? Taking a deep breath, Raven put her hands on the Weapon's chest, focusing her power, noting how cold he felt, even in the heat of the desert sun.

"Come on..." she muttered, bringing more power to bear, wincing as her empathetic magic drew the poison out of Brand and into her, where she could filter it out and destroy it. "Pull through. Don't make this all a waste."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Another chapter which didn't need significant re-writing.
> 
> Brand's poisoning was inspired by an incredibly obscure source, the relatively minor character of Johan from Saga Frontier 2.


	4. Deadly Weapons IV: Saber

Robin sat in his cell at Weapon HQ, staring at the walls, his mask and the eyes beneath it narrowed in concentration. His arms were around his knees, which he had drawn up to his chin. Sitting like that, he looked even younger than his sixteen years, but such observations didn't bother him. They could even be advantageous in lulling others into a false sense of security. For example, sitting like this, it was almost impossible for anyone to tell he was working hard to escape from the prison he found himself in.

The cell was tall. Twenty feet at least, and spherical, making any thought of climbing to the tiny vent at the top of the cell futile. His grappling hook could've scaled that distance with ease if his utility belt hadn't been taken away. It was frustrating, but Robin was never without options. He had learned from the best, and he knew that the tools in his belt were just that: tools. They enhanced his skills, but they did not embody them. Nonetheless, he wished for just a few of his explosives. It would make this whole process much easier.

That "whole process" was proving to be more difficult than he had first imagined. There was no such thing as an escape-proof prison. Robin knew that as well as anyone. It was even more apparent to someone in his line of work. How many criminals had slipped from their bonds to trouble the world again even after being caught? Maybe that was a bad example. Many of those criminals had super-powers, henchmen, or even entire armies that could brute-force lock and key. The boy wonder preferred subtlety most of the time.

He had no doubt that the other Titans were being held in prisons that corresponded to each of their abilities. That in itself said a lot. It meant that this kidnapping was not some improvised, off-the-cuff response to Raven's retreat. This had been the plan all along. To draw the sorceress out into a trap she would not escape, using her friends as the bait. And Robin knew she would come. In her own way, Raven was more passionate about the friendship the five of them shared than anyone else.

So he waited. Waited for Weapon to make its move, to reveal some flaw in their set-up. He would not sit here hoping to be rescued. When the time came, he would act.. Raven would not be alone when she walked into the trap. Robin intended to be there to help her. So he waited for his chance.

The waiting would soon be over.

* * *

The first thing Brand felt was the chill. Even through his jacket, the cold air puckered his flesh and made him shiver. The shivering awakened the second sensation: pain. His entire body ached as if he had been hit by a car.

_He grabbed the green Titan by the throat, hand slipping beneath the snapping jaws of his raptor form, using the momentum of his charge to lift the saurian up by the throat and slam him into the ground. "Not this time, Green!" he sneered, enjoying the brief moment of vengeance for the blow the kid had delivered earlier in the battle. He resumed his course towards Raven, who was chanting again. He drew his sword back, gleefully preparing to cut her down when the car slammed into him. She had used her powers to send it flying directly into his flank. He fell and tumbled to the ground at her feet._

Brand blinked. _Oh yeah... that happened_. He _had_ been hit by a car. He almost laughed, but he was afraid it would hurt even more. _Did I get hit by an exploding motorcycle, too?_ He asked himself, frowning. _No... the bike didn't hit me. It hit Lance!_ And then he remembered. Lance's mockery. Brand's first, failed attack. The intense battle between the big Weapon and Raven. That final moment.

_It had taken far more effort than it should have, but he had levered himself up off the ground and had climbed to his knees, leaning heavily on his sword, watching in awe as Raven stood up to Lance on her own. And she was_ winning _. He had to admit, the girl had guts. And skill to match. When the sorceress had detonated the motorcycle on top of Lance, the explosion had nearly driven Brand back to the dust, a wave of heat and tiny pieces of mechanical debris washing over him; he had barely kept his balance. He watched Lance hit the ground in a spray of a sand, but he knew better than almost anyone what the big man was capable of. He had seen the slight shift in balance, the flash of cunning in the other Weapon's eyes._

_So it was no surprise when the spear had been thrown with deadly accuracy at Raven, bound to skewer her and put an end to the threat she posed. In that split second, Raven had managed to stop the projectile cold with her powers. Brand would have been more impressed, but he was already moving, knowing that Lance would follow up the spear with another attack. He couldn't say what he was doing or why. Brand already knew he was dying, so the effect of the blood chain – which would kill him if Raven herself died – had no influence on him. Maybe it was rage at Lance, at Saber, at Weapon, for throwing him aside, treating him like dirt. Maybe it was instinct, seeing a chance to kill a powerful opponent. Maybe he just didn't want to watch Raven die after observing her fighting so well. He sped past the Titan, burning the last of his strength in this final strike, leaping towards his former associate with sword raised, and then..._

_Impact_.

Lance was dead. Brand lay cold and in pain and wondered if he would join the other Weapon soon. That thought gave birth to another one. Obvious, but still unexpected. He was alive. _How?_ His icy blue eyes snapped open, and he saw an endless indigo sky above him, stars beginning to wink into place in the east. A gentle breeze blew grit and sand across his face and body. He was still in the desert and night was falling. There was a deep silence, and Brand watched the sky for a long moment.

The quiet was broken by the soft sound of falling earth. The Weapon sat up slowly, painfully, gasping for breath as if he had just run a marathon. But he could breathe, that was the important thing. He tested his lungs with a few deep inhales, and, although they hurt, he did not cough. Finally he turned and looked around. He almost didn't see Raven at first. It was growing darker and her blue cloak seemed to melt into the evening, and it was several seconds before he spotted her standing at the edge of a mound of sand, looking down.

He climbed to his feet, realizing only then that he still held his sword. The ridges on the hilt had dug into his palm from being held so tightly and he literally had to peel his hand away from the weapon after sheathing it. Raven did not turn as he approached. He wondered if she even knew he was awake. Brand waited for the killing instinct to fill his brain again, knowing that, with her back turned, the Titan was vulnerable.

To his mild surprise, he felt nothing. No anger, no expectation, no disgust, no contempt. All he felt was the chill and the pain.

His booted feet came to a halt only a few feet behind her and to her left. Now that he was close, he could see the mound of earth more clearly, and the spear that stood head-down at one end as a makeshift marker for the grave. "I don't get you," Brand said, and his words, even as quiet as they were, seemed loud in the silence. "You heal me... you bury him... what's your game?"

Raven didn't answer right away, just turned to consider him somberly. The breeze ruffled her cloak and Brand noticed with a strange start that her hood was down for the first time since he had seen her. Her hair was straight and dark, framing the pale oval of her face. The gem glimmered on her ajna chakra. She looked... human. _Funny that I never really thought of her like that before._

"I know you don't get it," she said at last. "The world you live in doesn't have room for compassion for an enemy." Raven looked away again. "Or mercy."

The third thing Brand felt was guilt. It was unfamiliar and he responded to it the same way he responded to most things: He got angry. "I saved your life!" he snapped.

Raven turned on him suddenly. "I didn't need your help, Brand!" she said, fire and steel in her voice. "You say that you don't understand me, but you're the one that doesn't make any sense. If I'm the huge threat that you think that I am, do you really believe that Lance could've killed me? Do you think that I needed a sick, dying boy to save me? You should've stayed back and let me handle it, but instead of doing the smart thing, or even doing the stupidly brave thing and tackling Lance, you dove in sword first and took a life."

Brand bristled at the word "boy" and rose to his full height. "Am I supposed to feel bad about that?" He asked with a snort. "I don't doubt that you can take care of yourself, Raven. I saw the way you handled Lance out there, but you don't know him like I did. He was a spineless, contemptible coward, and an arrogant, thick-headed moron. Vicious. Cruel. A glory hound. If you had left him alive at your back he would have stabbed it in a second."

"Like you?" the Titan asked scornfully.

Brand grit his teeth. "Yes, like me. That's how we were raised and trained together. That's what we knew. You have your life of compassion and mercy, I have this. I don't expect you to understand it any more than I understand you, but showing that kind of weakness is death in my world."

Raven turned to face him squarely, and – with another shock – the Weapon saw for the first time just how tired his traveling companion was. Even in the dark, he could see the shadowy circles of exhaustion and worry under her eyes beneath the eye-liner she wore. He wondered how much power she had expended healing him and how much she had used flying all this way, not to mention the two battles she had fought. "You really don't understand me," she said. There was something in her voice, a darkness, and Brand could only stare.

"What do you mean?" He asked cautiously.

The teen sorceress sighed. "How much do you know about what happened? The thing that they want you to kill me for... What do you _really_ know about it?"

Brand turned his head slightly, quizzically. "I assume your powers went out of control and caused all hell to break loose."

"No," Raven said, and her words were slow and infinitely sad. "The opposite, really. What I did, that was my powers working exactly as intended." Brand began to speak, but the dark-haired girl raised a hand to forestall him. "My father is a demon. A powerful demon. He forced himself on my human mother so that she would give birth to me. I was to be his portal into this world." She shivered, and it had nothing to do with the dropping temperature. "When I turned sixteen, he... used me for my intended purpose. He came to Earth and, in an instant – as you said – all hell broke loose."

"Robin found me, or what was left of me, and took me back to the other Titans. They were the only living things remaining." Her violet eyes shifted slightly. "Or almost all that was left. They fought my father. Hopelessly, stupidly, completely outmatched, they fought him. In their courage I found the strength to banish Trigon. I won't let him use me again." Raven's small fists clenched with her resolve.

Suddenly, she looked straight up at the swordsman. "So you see, we're not all that different. Both groomed for a single, destructive purpose. I wasn't born to compassion or mercy, I _chose_ it. And if you wanted to, you could, too."

The white-haired teen wanted desperately to say something dismissive, to brush off the story as so much nonsense, but he was tired and injured, left adrift and alone in a world that seemed much different and more alien than it had a few short hours ago.

"If I wanted to," he repeated at last. The words were meant to be sarcastic, but instead sounded bitter.

"Yes," Raven said simply. There was a brief silence. "Are you ready to go? We're wasting time."

Brand shifted his booted feet on the sand. "'We'?" he asked. "I think it's pretty obvious that they're not going to trade me for your friends. What do you need me for?"

"Meat shield," she said humorlessly, raising her hood. "I might need your help once we get inside. I could go myself, but if Weapon gets lucky and kills me, that wouldn't be so good for you, would it?"

_Oh yeah... the blood chain_ , Brand thought. He glared at the Titan. "When this is over, you're cutting me loose," he said. It was not a request. She nodded slowly, and Brand sighed, knowing he was stuck.

The Weapon took inventory. His clothes were dirty and torn, but still functional, including the fingerless gloves with their armored backs. He reached back to touch the pommel of his broadsword, an ingrained habit, and felt it hanging over his right shoulder. Robin's motorcycle sat waiting on the sand fifteen feet away. His eyes traced the outline of the grave in front of him. "Wait," he said, stepping to the head of the grave. He reached out and took the spear from the ground. A quick glance at the haft revealed the hidden button he was looking for, which he pressed. With a snap, the spear collapsed, the tip sinking into the handle, which telescoped inward like the staff the Titans' leader had used. The process took only a second, and afterwards, Brand stuck the concealed spear, now a cylinder less than a foot long, into an inner pocket of his jacket.

He could feel Raven watching him with disapproval. "A trophy?" she asked.

"A reminder," Brand replied quietly. "Let's go."

* * *

It was a long, awkward two hours before they reached the facility. Raven was already tired when they began, and the long trip took its toll on her remaining reserves. Brand had it just as bad. The road was not easy, especially on a motorcycle, and it only exacerbated the pain he was already in. The sky turned fully dark before they stopped, a black void filled with countless stars hung above them.

Just as Brand had told Raven when he thought he was dying, the entrance was under a rock overhang, built directly into one of the mesas. It was simple, unadorned metal, large enough for vehicles to pass through. The Titan felt horribly exposed walking up to the front door and had said so.

"Shouldn't we try sneaking around the back?" she had suggested.

Brand had given her a look. The kind of look she usually used on Beast Boy when he said something foolish. "It's not like they don't know we're coming."

That was true enough. Weapon had been paying close enough attention to send Lance after them, so they were certainly aware of the duo's presence. And so they had parked the motorcycle nearby and strode right up to the entrance. Every instant, Raven expected hidden turrets to rise from the ground firing hot death at the two of them, or an army of robots to stream out of the surrounding rocks, but, for once, her paranoia was unfounded. _For now,_ she thought. When she considered it, though, it made sense. These were assassins, not the Brotherhood of Evil. They were bound to be more low-key.

The door was locked, of course. Brand looked at her expectantly. She stared back at him dully for a moment before realizing he was waiting for her to teleport them through the door. She could, but she was already dangerously tired. The events of the day had drained her almost completely and the actual rescue still lay ahead of her. Raven swayed where she stood and almost despaired, but with an exercise in iron will, she regained control of herself. _I won't fail_ , she thought, tightening her lips. She shook her head at the Weapon.

He raised an eyebrow but, to his credit, said nothing. Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled out his sword and held it out in front of him. A cobalt light shone out from an aperture above the door, scanning the weapon quickly. The light flashed red and blinked out. Behind the door, they could hear the muffled sound of an alarm. "Goddammit!" Brand swore viciously. "They already locked me out!" Raven could see the fire of rage and humiliation in his eyes even in the darkness. "Didn't waste any time, did they?" He glanced at her briefly and gave her a forced, crooked smile. "Well it's not like they didn't already know we were coming," he paraphrased his words of only a few minutes earlier.

Raven stared back from under her hood, unamused.

One of his gloved hands reached into his jacket and pulled out Lance's spear. With a flick of a button, the polearm snapped back to its full length. The blue light scanned it and this time blinked green. "Oh, I see how it is," Brand muttered. The spear telescoped inward again and he stuck it back into his jacket. "Should have tried that first," he said, sounding almost apologetic as the doors ground open. Within, the facility was dark but for the dim flashing of the almost blood-red alarm lights.

_I liked him better when he was sick_ , Raven thought, sounding grumpy even in her own head. _He talked less_.

Brand drew his sword again, glanced over his shoulder at her, and, after receiving a nod of acknowledgment, passed within. Raven followed, her hands raised and encased in magic energy, prepared to fight her way through whatever forces Weapon had mustered to kill her. To her cautious surprise, there was nothing. Nothing but pulsing crimson lights and droning alarms. The Weapon strode in front of her, leading the way, nearly blending in to the air with his red and black clothes, and she was suddenly aware that she was now fully at the mercy of the young man she had brought with her. She had put herself completely in the hands of someone who had actively been trying to kill her only a few short hours ago.

The facility went quite a way back into the mesa, but it was strangely empty. At first they passed the garage, where a few motorcycles and trucks sat silent. Beyond that was all metal steps and stone walls, no decorations or adornments of any kind, the halls stretching into the distance. _This doesn't feel like a place where people live and work and train and plan_ , Raven thought. _It feels like a tomb._ And the emptiness added to that impression. She was almost eager for the trap to be sprung, because the absence of any other life was disturbing.

Even Brand, who she thought would have been used to the facility, seemed to agree. He began muttering to himself. "Come on, Saber. Where are you? Let's just get this ridiculous thing over with."

They reached the center of a large chamber. Raven recognized it from Brand's mind as the place where the Weapons had received their orders. The alarm lights blinked on and off, revealing that the room was empty, but Brand stopped and looked at her. He held up a hand, palm outward. His fist closed and then opened again, but this time only four of his fingers were up. It closed again, and opened with only three fingers showing. She almost smiled. He was counting down.

… 3... 2... 1. The red lights flashed off of the still-empty room, and, when the countdown hit zero, a bank of white lights above them flashed on all at once, the alarms silenced in an instant. Squinting in the brightness, the duo found themselves surrounded by Weapon robots. Even with Brand's warning, Raven found herself startled by their sudden appearance. Neither of them hesitated, however. Brand swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting down two drones at once while Raven gestured, pulling another apart like a children's toy.

"Predictable, Saber!" Brand called, blocking a slash from an axe-wielding drone. "You always did have a flair for the dramatic."

"The only thing I have a 'flair' for, brother," Saber's voice answered, sounding as if it was coming through an intercom in the ceiling, "is the 'effective'. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

A pulse of black energy extended from Raven's hands, sending several Weapon robots flying. "I shouldn't be one to talk," the sorceress said over her shoulder, "but your family is... messed up." Brand laughed darkly.

The swordsman cut down another of the drones and looked up at the ceiling. "Yeah, this is real effective," he shouted mockingly. "These robots that I trained against almost every day are suddenly a huge threat for some reason." He glanced at Raven with a smirk, but she didn't respond.

_Does he think we were bantering?_ Raven asked herself. _That's sad._

Saber's voice came again, this time in person from the head of the room, up a small flight of steps. She looked vital and fresh compared to Raven and Brand's tired faces and dirty outfits. "They're not expected to kill you, Brand," she said. "They're simply confirming my suspicions. You're both weak and exhausted." The long-haired Weapon drew her sword. "This won't take long." She leapt into the fray.

Raven braced herself, raising a wall of energy, but Saber stopped short, swinging instead at Brand. The male Weapon blocked, barely, but Saber followed the cut with a kick that caught the young man in the breadbasket. He stumbled back with a grunt and Saber was all over him in an instant, her namesake weapon whistling through the air, ringing against Brand's broadsword.

The two opponents locked swords momentarily, but Saber was fresh and strong, while Brand was still recovering from his nearly-fatal poisoning. She pushed his blade out of line and slashed at the young man's chest. He dodged back just enough that only the tip caught him, shredding his jacket, his red shirt, and skimming the flesh beneath it, but it wasn't a deep cut. Brand spun away from the force of the attack and found himself face-to-face with a trio of weapon-wielding robots and Saber at his back.

Without thinking, Raven extended her mind. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" A small wave of robot parts whirled towards Saber, but the Weapon girl pivoted on one foot, angling her sword with perfect timing to catch every single piece on the blade in turn. _Well that was different,_ Raven thought, both impressed and irritated.

"You've got nothing left," Saber said coldly. "No power, no friends, no time, no space. It's time to end this mission."

The Titan glared at her, her eyes glowing under the hood of her cloak. "Lance under-estimated me, too," she said. "I notice he's not here right now."

The Weapon girl stared at her icily. "Lance was an idiot and a weakling," she spat. "And Brand is defective. His emotional damage got him captured and you've twisted him even further. They failed because they refused to follow orders. They let their desire for glory and recognition blind them. If your friend hadn't held me off during our first fight, you would not be here right now."

_Robin,_ Raven thought with a wry internal smile. "He trained me well," she said. "I don't intend to make it easy for you."

Saber raised her sword in answer and Raven settled herself into a fighting stance. She was aware of Brand cutting a swath through the remaining Weapon drones, but he still too far away to help her. That was probably for the best. Let him spend his bloodlust on lifeless robots instead of another human.

In all honesty, Raven wasn't sure if she could beat Saber. The girl was on a whole different level, and the Titan was exhausted both mentally and physically. She wished she would have been able to free the others, but odds were that her journey ended here.

In a blur of black and red, Saber struck. Raven dodged and weaved, moving like smoke, flowing around the Weapon's sword, putting into practice all that close-combat training Robin had insisted on. She struck when she could, with hands, feet, and energy, but the Weapon was too quick on her feet, never seeming to be where the attacks were aimed. For a moment it seemed the two were evenly matched, until the white-haired girl dropped to sweep her legs and Raven fell to the metal floor. She reached out to open a portal, to sink into the floor and away from the danger and hit a wall in her own mind, too tired to do anything. Her vision swam and her head was light. _Nothing left,_ she thought wearily. Saber stood over her, sword raised. She heard Brand's roar of frustration as he saw her death – and by extension his – approaching, and something else, too... a familiar battle cry.

"Hrah!" A colorful human projectile slammed into Saber. Red, green, and yellow. The Weapon girl skidded across the floor and slammed into a wall.

"Robin!" Raven cried, unable to hide her relief. She couldn't believe he was here, just when she needed him.

The Titans' leader spared her a quick smile. "When I heard the alarms, I knew it was you," he said. His spiky-haired head nodded towards Brand, who had just finished dismantling the remaining robots. "I see you brought... help?"

"Brand? Kind of..." Raven admitted.

"Can we count on him?" Robin asked. Raven hesitated, then nodded. The male Weapon was under control for now. "Then leave the girl to us. Go back and free the others."

The sorceress glared at the young hero. "You're telling me to leave the fight again?" she asked, her voice low. "It didn't go so well last time."

Robin had the decency to look abashed. "Okay, you got me there, but you're exhausted. Please, Raven."

She sighed, not agreeing with him, but too tired to argue. "Watch out for Saber... I'll be back soon with the others," she promised. Raven turned and ran through the exit, cloak flapping behind her, leaving Robin and Brand to face the deadly female assassin.

* * *

Robin stood ready to confront his foe from the battle at the restaurant, unarmed and with a questionable ally in the male Weapon that had just finished destroying the last of the robots. The young man sauntered toward Robin, wounded and stiff, but an amused smirk lit his face.

"Whose side are you on?" Robin asked him, watching Saber rise from where she had fallen out of the corner of one masked eye.

"Nobody's," the young man responded. "I got shanghaied into this, but I figure I might as well follow through." He reached into his jacket and took out a metal cylinder that looked vaguely like one of Robin's own collapsible staves. With the push of a button, the cylinder expanded into a familiar-looking spear. "Here," the Weapon said, tossing the spear to Robin. The lead Titan caught it easily and gave it an experimental spin. It was longer and heavier than his weapon of choice, but it was much better than nothing.

Just in time. Saber darted forward from where she had been standing, moving even faster than Robin remembered. He parried the lightning-fast slice that would have cut him in half and lashed out with one booted foot, hitting only air. Saber was no longer there. She had spun past him and was already aiming another cut at his head, but Brand intercepted the blow with his own sword, a feral grin on his face.

The three combatants whirled in a dervish of clanging weapons and hissed breaths, dancing beneath swings and weaving past weapons. A trio of well-trained fighters in deceptively beautiful motion that looked almost choreographed. But this dance was deadly, and all three were soon wounded; cut and bruised and bleeding.

Robin, like Raven before him, quickly found that Saber had a knack for evading or blocking attacks. She almost seemed psychic, reacting to parries and counters before they even happened. Even the boy wonder had to admit that he might have met his end fighting this young woman if it hadn't been for Brand. The swordsman wasn't as fast or as strong as his former partner even when he wasn't injured and worn out, but he knew how she fought, knew exactly where to be to intercept her attacks. And no matter how many cuts or kicks or bruises she inflicted on him, Brand kept getting back up to continue the fight, determination filling his icy eyes.

Little by little, Saber gave way, falling under the combined assault of Robin and Brand. She backed across the floor, back to the entrance of the room.

"Brand," she gasped, leaping back and opening some space between herself and the other two. Robin was gratified to hear the Weapon was out of breath. "You still have time to come back to your senses. The poison might not have gotten you, but our masters won't let you live if you persist in this betrayal."

"They've already tried to kill me once. I don't expect any kindness if I return now. I'll take my chances," Brand responded dully, sounding even more winded than his former cohort.

The female Weapon shook her head, blue eyes shooting daggers at her counterpart. "You're a fool," she said. "I gave you an opportunity to stop this idiocy, but you'd rather turn your back on everything we are." She raised her sword, and there was a new fire in her cold gaze. The three opponents stood there like statues for a moment; the calm before the storm, knowing that a line had been crossed and the next phase of the battle could result in someone's death.

"Alright, y'all! Who's ready for a butt-kicking?!" a familiar voice yelled. Cyborg and the rest of the Titans burst through the other door, the half-robot with his sonic cannon out and Starfire's hands glowing green with energy.

Beast Boy stepped out into the room, arms spread in an exaggerated shrug. "Dude, there's barely anyone left."

"I still see two of them," Cyborg said, human eye narrowing as he spotted Brand and Saber.

For another moment, the female weapon stood her ground, sword raised. Her lip twitched and she glanced at Brand. "This isn't over," she hissed. Then she turned and ran, her footsteps fading rapidly as she passed through the halls and out of the facility. Brand started after her, then stumbled wearily, bleeding from a dozen cuts. He turned and let himself fall against the nearby wall, resting his back against it, catching his breath.

"Robin!" Starfire squealed, swooping down to catch the lead Titan in a hug, his utility belt slung over one of her shoulders. "I am overjoyed to see you well!" She paused, looking him over, seeing his seeping wounds. "You _are_ well, are you not?"

Robin smiled at the alien girl, happier to see her than he was willing to show. "It's nothing, Star. I'm glad you're okay." She grinned back at him. The masked hero looked past the other Titans to see Raven standing pale and quiet behind them. "Thanks, Raven," he said meaningfully. "Thanks for coming to save us."

She said nothing, but he could almost feel the palpable relief radiating from her.

"So, uh..." Beast Boy started, edging forward. "What do we do with him?" he asked, indicating Brand where he leaned heavily against the wall.

Brand ignored him and closed his eyes. "Raven!" he called. "It's time you kept your promise. Break the chain."

All four of the other Titans turned to look at the sorceress. Raven stepped forward until she was within arms reach of the Weapon, who opened his eyes and watched her like a man might watch a dangerous snake. The corners of her lips turned up, just a bit. "It doesn't exist, Brand," she said quietly. "It never did. It was a lie."

His jaw dropped and he stared at her. They watched his expression shift from shock to anger, from anger to acceptance, and finally to a wry, tired amusement. "Of course it was," he said. "Of course it was a lie." He let out a chuckle and put his hands over his face. "Very good."

"You understand then," Raven said to him, her voice soft. "I did what I had to do."

He nodded and Raven stepped away. Brand turned to Robin and held out a hand expectantly. Obligingly, the Titans' leader collapsed the spear he held and held it before the Weapon. He hesitated. "So that's it," Robin said. "Are you still going to try and complete your mission?"

"To what end?" Brand asked bitterly. "Weapon is gone. My masters have washed their hands of me. And, besides," he glanced at the young woman in the hooded cloak and smirked. "Raven is more trouble than she's worth." He leaned forward to snatch the collapsed spear from Robin. He considered the metal cylinder in his hands for a moment, then pressed the button again, extending the spear to its full length, reaching back and drawing his sword in the same motion. He held both weapons defensively in front of him. It happened so fast that the Titans had no time to react. "That said..." Brand growled. "I'm going to be leaving now. Even the goodness in superheroes' hearts has a limit, and I don't particularly want to go to jail."

Cyborg took a step forward, raising his sonic cannon, but Robin held him back. "Go on," the boy wonder said, nodding at the Weapon. "But I suggest you find a new profession. Or we'll meet again and you _will_ end up behind bars."

"Are you crazy, man?!" Cyborg protested. "He tried to kill Raven! Today!" Robin said nothing.

The white-haired young man nodded a salute to the masked hero, flashing a cocksure grin. Then he turned and ran, following Saber out of the building. Out of their lives. Robin let out a deep breath, the tension of the moment leaving him. He felt Starfire's warm hand on his shoulder and he turned to his team.

"Let's go home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The second section of this chapter - Brand waking up in the desert and talking with Raven - is one of my favorite scenes in the story. For my money, any time you have these two characters interacting, it's spinning straw into gold (I may be biased). They're so similar and yet so different, it makes writing the disparate ways they view and react to situations a lot of fun.
> 
> This ends the first arc of "Love and Hate".


	5. Interlude I: Bridgetown

" _Here's your big chance. You can finally take me down."_

* * *

It wasn't a big city, not even as large as Jump City, much less Metropolis or Gotham, but neither was it a tiny village or rural hamlet. Bridgetown was a good size; a bustling, growing community that had outgrown its original location on a large island in the middle of the Shoshoni River. It had expanded to the edges of the island and then beyond, colonizing the shore on either side. Shore was connected to island, which was connected to the opposite shore by a series of bridges. Hence the name.

Compared to the desert that Brand had been riding through for what seemed like forever, it looked like an oasis. The blue sky was threaded with white cirrus clouds and the sunlight twinkled off the waters of the river. More importantly, it was a town that didn't have any local team of heroes protecting it.  _I've had enough of them for a while_ , Brand thought grimly. Not that he had gotten particularly far away from the Teen Titans after his escape: Jump City was only a day's travel northwest from here. Still, it was a start.

The Weapon pursed his lips and glanced over his shoulder as he had often done since leaving his old headquarters behind. Part of it was just checking for pursuit. He still couldn't quite believe that the Titans had just let him go. The other part was that he still half-expected Raven to be following him. Even though their little venture had lasted only half a day, she had become something of a fixture in his journey. He could almost have imagined that she was still following his stolen motorcycle, floating above and behind him.

" _Are you still going to try and complete your mission?"_  Robin had asked him. Brand had dismissed the question flippantly. Perhaps too flippantly. Weapon was gone, but, if anything he had been told had been true, Raven was still a threat. Not just to him, but to the entire world.

_Do I care?_

It may have seemed a stupid question, except that Brand had no particular ties to anything or anyone, not anymore. Besides, he had had enough of the sorceress's obvious contempt for him and wasn't especially eager to come face-to-face with her again.

Nonetheless, he looked over his shoulder once more.

_Idiot._

Brand rode into Bridgetown without a plan. His only thought for now was to open some distance between himself and whoever or whatever may have been pursuing him. This city seemed as good a choice as any. Big enough to lose himself in, small enough to avoid any... "heroic" entanglements. He had taken one of Weapon's vehicles, passing by the chance to steal Robin's motorcycle, although he had been sorely tempted. The many upgrades would have been useful, but it also would have made him a target. He already felt conspicuous enough with his white hair and a broadsword strapped across his back.. Brand wished that he had thought to disguise himself, or at least found a bag to stow his sword in.

Somehow, the Weapon managed to get downtown without drawing too much attention. He parked his motorcycle outside a nearly empty grocery store off the main drag for a bite to eat, all too aware that the small amount of pocket money he had scrounged from HQ before making his escape wouldn't last long. There was a moment of hesitation as he stepped off the bike, wondering if he should risk leaving his sword behind. The thought was not appealing, so he shrugged his shoulders and walked in fully armed.

The single young clerk in the store watched Brand the entire time he browsed the shelves, but said nothing until the young man came to the counter with a sandwich and a drink. "Are you some kind of cosplayer?" he asked, peering at the sword the Weapon wore on his back.

Brand glared at him, but didn't dare deny it.

The sandwich was half gone before he even walked out of store. Brand ate ravenously, unaware until that moment just how hungry he was. It felt like he hadn't eaten anything in weeks. He finished the rest of it leaning against his motorcycle, chewing more slowly as he considered his problem.  _The_  problem.

_What do I do now?_

That question had been bouncing around his head since he left the others behind, but he had refused to look to look at it too closely. In all honesty, the question scared the hell out of him. He had no idea what to do or where to go. Brand had lived his life following orders as part of an organization. Weapon had provided him with food, training, and a place to stay, but more importantly it had provided  _purpose_. He knew nothing else.

For a moment, there was a flicker of regret. His failure to carry out his mission had resulted in almost everything being stripped away from him. No base, no companions, no resources at all. The only consolation was that he was free and alive. Unfortunately, the way Brand had lived heretofore meant that he hadn't the slightest clue what to do with that freedom.

The Weapon finished his meal thinking dark thoughts, wondering how many wrong choices he had made in the last forty-eight hours.  _Damn her, anyway,_  he thought, his mind flashing back to the source of all this trouble: Raven.  _Nothing but trouble since I first saw her._ And yet he was alive thanks to the girl. Despite her trickery, despite her all-too-apparent dislike of him, he still felt the uncomfortable and unfamiliar burden of owing her his life. He shook his head and almost smiled, remembering how completely she had fooled him with the "blood chain."

" _It doesn't exist, Brand. It never did. It was a lie."_

Well there would be no more of that. From now on, Brand was going to make sure he stayed away from superheroes.

Over the sound of the occasional traffic and the noises of a city full of life, there was a scream. The Weapon froze with his water bottle halfway to his mouth.  _Just ignore it, pretend you didn't hear it, it has nothing to do with you_. On the other hand, if there was some kind of trouble, there might be a chance to let out some aggression in a fight. Maybe not a  _good_  fight, but you couldn't have everything.

He chugged the last of his drink, tossed his garbage in the general direction of the nearby receptacle, and hopped back onto his bike. His ears were as sharp as his eyes, and he could tell, even from a distance, what direction the scream had come from. The Weapon was about to head in that direction when he heard a new noise.

It sounded like a gun.

* * *

_No!_  Photon thought desperately, yanking Seer behind a dumpster in the alley he found himself in.  _I won't let them get hold of us again!_  He peeked around the edge of the heavy metal trash receptacle, looking for the young woman who had been chasing them. The female hadn't looked like much of a threat at first, not in that cowgirl get-up, and sauntering around like she had never been in a hurry in her life, but when she pulled out that gun, all semblance of "easygoing" had vanished in a heartbeat.

It had been pure luck that they had escaped her even this long. Seer, standing behind him, had gasped and shoved him against a wall a split second before the bounty hunter had drawn her weapon. The pre-cog's visions had saved him from getting blasted by gunfire before he even knew what was going on. With the minuscule amount of time he had been given, Photon had gathered enough light to create a covering flash and pulled Seer away from the temporarily blinded gunslinger.

They had been on the run since. Since before the tracker had found them, really.

Fifteen-year-old Raymond "Ray" Washington had only just begun to flex his "hero" muscles in his hometown a few weeks earlier. Taking the name "Photon", he had used his power of flight and control over light cautiously at first... stopping little bits of vandalism, scaring thieves, revealing criminals hiding from police. His parents had indulged his desire for karate classes as a child, but he was smart enough to know that, without real training and experience, he would be in over his head actually  _battling_  criminals, much less supervillains.

Even though Photon had been keeping a low profile, someone must have noticed him, because today, only a few weeks after he started his new – unofficial – vocation, he had been nabbed on the way home from school. The memory made his dark cheeks burn with embarrassment. Some hero he was, letting himself be kidnapped without a fight. His captors had clonked him on the head and thrown him into the back of a van. That was where he found the little girl that now huddled beside him behind the dumpster.

She was a strange one, no doubt. The girl looked to be about twelve, Asian, with long, dark hair and eyes and a calm maturity that belied her age. With Seer's help, Photon had broken away from the van. Her foresight had told them exactly when the doors would open, exactly when the dark-skinned youth could use his powers to escape, before the men in the white lab coats had even completely swung open the back of the vehicle.

Photon grinned tightly, remembering how surprised they had been. The man on the left had shrieked like a girl when the meta-human had sent a blast of energy right between the two.

The fact that the girl that had helped him also had powers told Photon all he needed to know. Someone was kidnapping meta-humans. For what reason, he didn't know, and he didn't need to. He just wanted to get away.

Photon shot a quick glance at the girl next to him. She was out of breath, but still completely unfazed by these recent events.  _Wonder if that's good news or bad news_. Either Seer's vision was telling her that everything would be okay, or she had made peace with her own upcoming death. The boy shivered. Even if she had, he hadn't. He wished he could just lift her up and fly away, but he wasn't strong enough to carry her for long and he refused to leave her behind.

"See anything, kid?" He asked, deciding on the direct approach.

She didn't look at him, her dark eyes staring out at nothing. "I see a figure on a metal horse and carrying weapons. It's coming for us."

Immediately, Photon's mind went to the cowgirl. He imagined her riding on a robotic horse, bristling with firearms.  _Oh great... just what we needed. "_ Come on," he whispered, wishing he hadn't asked. Seer nodded, and the two stood up, moving quickly but quietly through the alley. If they could just move a few more blocks over, they would be near a police station. Maybe they could find help there. As Photon neared the edge of the alley, he stepped into the light and felt a surge of power as his meta-human genes automatically absorbed the thermal and photonic energy. Then the light was cut off by a shadow. A human-shaped shadow.

It was her. She had circled around to cut them off

The woman slouched there at the head of the alley, looking bored and disinterested. A pinch-front cowboy hat sat low on her head, her rich brown hair spilling from behind it, and a long, tan duster hung off her narrow shoulders. Despite her odd fashion sense, she was actually somewhat attractive: Fit and slender and a smooth, copper-skinned face... Native American, maybe. It was a shame that she was probably going to shoot them.

"It's nothing personal, folks," the young woman drawled. "It's just a job." She pulled one of her guns out from under her duster. "And, if it makes you feel any better," she raised the weapon and pointed it straight at Photon. "This shot will only knock you out."

Photon tensed, gathering up the little energy he had absorbed for one, last attack. Maybe Seer at least could escape even if he had to sacrifice himself doing so. Isn't that what being a hero was about? He moved forward and stopped short as Seer grabbed his arm.  _What was she doing?_

There was the sudden roar of an engine. The cowgirl looked to her right, her lips parting in surprise a split-second before a red and black figure on a motorcycle rumbled past her. One booted foot shot out, catching the girl in the stomach and sending her flying. The biker swung around and stopped outside the mouth of the alley, accompanied by the sound of screaming civilians. People had begun to notice there was some kind of altercation going on that involved an armed man and woman. Photon could see now that the figure was a young man in a dark jacket with a sword strapped across his back.

_The figure on the metal horse._

"And I thought this was going to be a normal town," the young man on the bike said with a shake of his head.

* * *

Of all the trouble to find, it had to be  _costumed_  trouble. Brand wished he could say that he was surprised, but he wasn't lucky enough to avoid these problems. He could have just driven by and pretended not to see the cowgirl pull the gun except that he was in the mood for a fight, and he wasn't picky about with who. The woman he had kicked could have been the "good guy" for all he knew. Considering the age and frightened faces of the two kids he found in the alley, that was unlikely, but one could never be sure.

"So what's the deal?" he asked the older kid in the alley. He was a short, skinny boy with dark skin and hair wearing a school uniform and a look of wide-eyed surprise. The girl was younger by a few years and didn't even seem to be paying attention. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but the answer to Brand's question came from his left.

"The 'deal'," the cowgirl said, picking herself up off the pavement and brushing at her knees and arms. "Is that these two are runaways. I was hired to bring them back."

Brand considered her, unable to keep himself from smiling. "At gunpoint? 'Fraid that ain't gonna' fly, sheriff," he said mockingly. The young woman just shrugged as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"We were kidnapped!" the boy broke in suddenly. "We got away, but they sent her to chase us down and bring us back!" He edged closer to the mouth of the alley, into the sunlight. "She  _shot_  at us!"

"They don't look very dangerous, sheriff," Brand said. He looked at the boy again. "Why did these people kidnap you?"

The boy took a deep breath, then clenched his fists. His dark eyes changed, glowing with white energy, and light seemed to gather at his hands. He relaxed, and the glow faded.

Brand raised an eyebrow. "Meta-humans," he said. It was not a question. His voice lowered threateningly. "Superheroes?"

"Not really," the boy said, looking embarrassed.

"Doesn't matter," the cowgirl said. "You saw for yourself. They're dangerous. They need to be contained... for everyone's sake."

" _Rather than wait and see and hope for the best, they've taken a... 'proactive' approach."_ Brand shook himself angrily, ridding himself of the treacherous memory of his words to Raven.

The Weapon put his hand on the pommel of his sword. "Not that I necessarily disagree with you, sheriff, but-"

"Would you  _please_  stop calling me that?" the gunslinger broke in.

Brand waved one hand magnanimously. "Oh by all means, introduce yourself."

The cowgirl grinned and raised her gun. "Killshot," she said. And fired.

A desperate tug on his sleeve moved Brand just enough that the blast of energy emitted from the gun only grazed his left arm, which tingled at the close contact. Without thinking, he brushed the little girl away roughly and charged the gunslinger, Killshot. The cowgirl fired again, but this time Brand had been anticipating the move and had already weaved away, faster than she expected. He lowered his head and caught her in a tackle, sending them both tumbling across the sidewalk. There were more screams as a growing number of civilians spotted the tussle and heard the shots.

Brand raised himself halfway off the girl and reached for his sword, preparing to draw it and put an end to the gunslinger. He didn't know what her stake in this whole meta-human kidnapping really was and he didn't care, but she had fired a weapon at him, and his instincts demanded that she pay. " _The world you live in doesn't have room for compassion for an enemy. Or mercy."_  he heard Raven say in his mind. He hesitated, and Killshot took the opportunity to kick him off of her.

They both scrambled to their feet, but while Brand was faster, Killshot raised her gun as she got to her knees.  _Dammit, Raven,_  Brand thought, staring at the gun.  _Even when you're not here, you managed to get me killed._ A focused beam of light shot out from the direction of the alley and the gun spun out of the cowgirl's hand.  _The meta-human boy_. Killshot didn't hesitate, she rose to her feet and yanked out another firearm, whipping Brand across the temple with the barrel as she did so. The Weapon recoiled, the impact opening a deep cut on his forehead. Blood streamed down the wound into his eye.

"So much for the stun gun," Killshot said, sounding as if she didn't care much either way.

But Brand struck in that moment, again faster than she expected, reaching out and grabbing her gun arm. He spun her and half-shoved, half-threw the cowgirl into the wall of a nearby pharmacy and the gun fell from her nerveless fingers. This time Brand did draw his sword and pushed it under her chin, not quite touching her throat.  _Kill her!_  His instincts screamed at him to end the threat she posed. " _I wasn't born to compassion or mercy. I_ chose  _it. And so can you,"_  Raven countered disapprovingly in his memory.

The Weapon grit his teeth angrily. What did he care about what the Titan had said? Nothing! He tensed, preparing to decapitate the gunslinger when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. It was the boy and the girl. The boy looked scared, but his hands were raised, glowing white with light.

They were pointed at him.

"You can't kill her," the boy said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Brand almost laughed. The blood from his cut stung his eye, and he squeezed it shut. "She shot at me. She shot at  _you_. Do you think she was planning on showing any mercy to you or your little friend there?"

The boy shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going to let you kill her." His eyes began glow and the light in his hands intensified. The Weapon just stared at him in disbelief. Was the kid actually going to attack him to save Killshot's life?

The very possibility sent Brand's mind spinning with tactics and probabilities. The meta-human was inexperienced, unsure, weak. Even with his powers, the swordsman could bring him down and then finish the job with Killshot. He shook his head in disbelief at his own thoughts.  _I'm actually planning on killing the boy to protect the possibility of killing someone else._  Was  _this_  who he was?

Was this what he  _wanted_  to be?

"What is it with you people and wanting to leave dangerous enemies alive at your back?" Brand asked to no one in particular. The boy looked at him, confused. The little girl a few steps behind him simply stared at the Weapon with her dark eyes as if she could see right through him. He turned to face Killshot, who smiled sweetly. "Fine," Brand growled. "Do you have some kind of plan to keep her from shooting us as soon as we walk away? I could disarm her."

Killshot wriggled against him suggestively. "I don't know... I have a lot of guns. You'd have to search me pretty thoroughly." The cowgirl winked at him.

He knew that the gunslinger was just trying to throw him off balance, but Brand felt his cheeks warm anyway. He gave her a smile that was all teeth. "When I said 'disarm', I was speaking literally."

"How about we just pinky swear, then?" Killshot said. "I solemnly swear that I won't shoot y'all in the back." The fingers of the hand that Brand still held pinned against the wall crossed very deliberately.

"Shut  _up_ ," Brand hissed. "Before I take that hat off your head  _permanently._ "

The boy had circled around the two combatants to retrieve the cowgirl's first firearm. "She said that a shot from this would only knock us out. We could use it on her while we escape."

Brand gave a grudging nod of approval.  _Smart kid._  "Well, Killshot? Is that true?" he asked the gunslinger. "Because I'm about to shoot you with that gun there one way or the other, so if you were lying, now would be a real good time to say so."

"It's true," Killshot said, and her voice and smile were cold now.

The Weapon released her arm and took a step back, lowering his sword so that the tip was pointed straight at the cowgirl's heart. Then he motioned impatiently for the boy to hand him the gun. Brand took it in his free hand, feeling the unfamiliar weight of the weapon in his palm and his lip twisted. He didn't particularly care for any weapon but his own, though he still kept Lance's spear in his jacket.

"Keep in mind that the boy you were about to drag back to be quietly kidnapped is the one that saved your life today," Brand said. He didn't wait for a response, he just shot her. A bolt of energy arrowed into the young woman's torso. She jerked against the wall and dropped like a sack of potatoes as Brand pulled his sword away, dropping the gun at the same moment. He raised a boot and slammed it onto the firearm, smashing it into pieces, then turned to the boy. "Happy?"

The kid stared at Killshot's motionless body for a long moment, shivered, and nodded.

Sirens began to wail in the distance and Brand trudged back to his motorcycle. "I'm Photon," the boy said, following behind me. "She's Seer. Thank you for... helping."

"Brand," the Weapon grunted his own name in response.  _I don't remember asking your names,_  he thought uncharitably. "What's her deal, anyway?" he asked, inclining his head towards Seer. The girl hadn't spoken since he first saw her, and she had stayed bizarrely calm during the entire altercation.

"Seer has visions of the future," Photon answered. "She could tell you what was in Schrödinger's own box if she wanted."

"Schrödinger?" Brand asked, climbing onto his bike and looking at the boy with a frown.

Photon looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a physics thing... nevermind."

The little girl stepped forward and looked up at the Weapon. "We have to go now," she said in a quiet but clear voice.

_Go?_ Brand wondered.

The sirens were coming closer, and the Weapon nodded his understanding. He looked at the girl, about to ask a question. "We'll be okay," she said. "Thank you again. You came right when you were supposed to." He stared at her another moment, and his lip twitched in the slightest of ironic smiles. He hit the kickstarter, and the motorcycle rumbled to life beneath him.

"Wait," Photon protested. "You don't have to leave. We can explain to the cops what you did, you'd probably get a medal or something."

_Oh wouldn't that be rich_ , Brand thought and laughed out loud, imagining a ceremony honoring his "bravery" in rescuing the two kids.  _I wouldn't even have to get close to Raven again... the shock alone would kill her if she saw that._  He grinned at the duo and shook his head. "No, I don't think I'll be doing that. Good luck with... whatever."

Photon and Seer stared after him as he roared off. He was two blocks away before the flashing light painted their faces with alternating red and blue highlights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As conceived, this chapter was originally much longer and involved a long chase scene. The entirety of the Interlude would have spanned at least two chapters, but I could never really make it come together, and it would have only exacerbated an already problematic situation: Namely, this is supposed to be a Teen Titans story. I'm already breaking rules number One and Two (don't make an original character and don't make an original character who uses a sword), and it stretches the goodwill of the readers to take such a large break from the main point of the fanfic. That said, this chapter is still necessary, for character development purposes and for... investments that pay off later.
> 
> I can't recall now if I purposely made Photon, Seer, and Killshot so ethnically diverse on purpose or not. It affects nothing but my own ego.
> 
> On another note, I'll be noting the names of "soundtrack" songs to these Author's Notes for anyone who's interested. Obviously, these are unofficial, but finding music to inspire me to keep writing this story has been one of the more rewarding parts of the project, and it feels wrong not to acknowledge its influence. For instance, the "opening theme" to The Edge Between Love and Hate is "The Pretender" by Foo Fighters. Killshot's theme is "Under the Gun" by Supreme Beings of Leisure. More will be added as I keep posting since some songs might constitute spoilers.
> 
> Next time... The Titans cross paths with Brand once again.


	6. Outsider I: sancTuary

" _What do I have to do? Become a 'superhero'? Join the Titans?"_

" _It doesn't work like that."_

* * *

**One Month Later...**

The T-shaped tower was barely visible through the rain and the mist, mostly defined by the warm light that glowed in the many windows that covered the structure. The light and the whimsical shape made it seem like an inviting place, the kind of place where noble heroes would smile beatifically and pontificate about truth and justice while they gave tours of their state-of-the-art facilities for stopping crime.

In actuality it was a fortress; guarded by unblinking eyes and security systems that never slept. Titans' Tower lay in a strategic position, overseeing large swaths of Jump City, the beings behind those windows constantly on watch. Evil could never feel completely safe in this city.

He had sworn that he would never come back here.

Things had changed, however. All his oaths and promises were now void and there was only one thing left for him to do. To follow the path that Fate had laid before him and go right into the lion's den.

A tight smile crossed his face.  _In the end,_  he asked himself.  _Was there ever really any doubt?_

All too aware of the eyes that watched his every move, Brand leaned forward over his motorcycle, oblivious to the rain that soaked his jacket and matted his white hair onto his head. So close to his destination. So close to finishing this one way or another. He gave the bike a little more gas.

* * *

"Give it up, Robin," Beast Boy said from the kitchen. He wasn't cooking or eating, he was just scanning through the various cupboards and pantries – with a quick stop at the fridge every once in a while – trying to find something he was "in the mood" to snack on. "Even the bad guys are gonna' be taking the day off in this weather," he continued. The boy wonder's only answer was the tapping of keys at the computer he sat at, audible even over the drumming of the rain against the windows. "Or... you know, keep working," the changeling muttered.

Raven glanced up from the book she was reading in one corner. "Just because  _you_  don't want to go outside, doesn't mean everyone in the city feels the same way."

"It's wishful thinking," Cyborg chimed in from where he was working on a large, complicated machine that took up nearly an eighth of the massive room. "Every time we have a fight in the rain he gets a cold."

Beast Boy made a face. "I hate being sick," he said, quieter than usual. It reminded him too much of when he was just a child and he'd been bitten by that green monkey. He'd contracted sakutia, a rare tropical illness, the only cure for which was invented on the fly by his desperate parents and had the side-effect of changing the boy's pigmentation to various shades of emerald, as well giving him the ability to transform into any animal he could think of.

"Oh, I too am 'thinking full wishes' about the rain stopping," Starfire sighed from where she stood at the window. "It is difficult to feel the joy of flight when everything is so gloomy."

"I don't mind it," Raven said to no one in particular, turning the page in her book.

Cyborg glanced at Beast Boy, knowing that the shape-shifter wouldn't be able to stop himself from commenting. Beast Boy looked back with a grin. " _Creepy,"_  the changeling mouthed. The cupboard door behind him glowed darkly and opened quickly, smacking the green boy in the back of the head.

The green changeling yelped in pain and rubbed the growing lump at the rear of his cranium, but Raven didn't even look in his direction. "You deserved that," Cyborg said. Beast Boy nodded in reluctant agreement.

"The storm's supposed to get worse later on," Robin said absently from his computer. "The city will probably shut down if it does, but that just means we have to be ready in case any criminals try and take advantage of the situation."

Starfire made a little noise of excitement, pressing her face close against the window. "I believe one of those 'criminals' has decided not to wait for the weather to worsen," she said.

Hearing something in her voice, Robin immediately stood up from the terminal and joined her at the window. Raven glanced up from her book and even Cyborg looked over his shoulder at the masked Titan and the alien framed in the gray light past the window. Beast Boy's head was buried in another cabinet, not the least bit curious.

"Do we not know him?" Starfire asked the boy wonder, pointing down at the bridge that connected the Tower to the mainland. Even as she said it, the automated perimeter alarms went off, the red emergency lights flashing and the klaxon blaring. There was a thump as Beast Boy flinched from the sudden noise, hitting his head on the inside of the cabinet.

Raven closed her book and stood. "What is it?" she asked Robin.

The Titans' leader's eyes narrowed under his mask. "It's Brand. And he brought friends."

* * *

They streamed out of the tower, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy from above and Robin and Cyborg from the ground. Rain soaked them instantly, a flash of lightning silhouetting them momentarily as the Titans rushed out to face the intruders.

Beast Boy, in the form of a pterodactyl, landed and shifted back into his human form. "I'm so going to catch a cold," he said to no one in particular. "Couldn't this guy have picked a nicer day to try and kill us?"

"Since when have the bad guys shown any kind of consideration?" Raven said from his left. Her soul-self huddled over her like an oversized cloak, protecting the sorceress from the driving rain.

"Since never," Robin said tightly. "Titans, go!"

Starfire was already on the move, a viridian streak arcing towards Brand and the legion of motorcycle-riding robots a hundred yards behind him. They were the same kind that the Titans had fought a month ago, crimson and sable, with cylindrical heads and skeletal bodies. All of them were armed. The Tamaranean's eyes glowed, bright in the darkness of the storm, and sent a hail of starbolts at Brand on the lead vehicle. The Weapon shouted something indistinct, the words lost in the sound of rain and engines, swerving to avoid the projectiles. His motorcycle skidded on the wet pavement of the bridge and went down. Brand went with it.

_Well he fell pretty easy_ , Beast Boy thought, charging through the rain in the shape of a bull. He lowered his head, catching two of the Weapon drones on his horns, lifting them off their vehicles and smashing them into others following behind. Lightning flashed again, mixing with starbolts and shots from Cyborg's sonic cannon. A birdarang exploded, taking out another robot. Another simply fell to pieces as Raven disassembled it with her telekinesis.

All too quickly, the changeling was through the swarm of robots. He shifted to a sparrow, gaining altitude and speed, expecting the drones to circle around for another pass at the Titans. What he found instead was the remaining force making straight for their fallen leader.

"They're going for the Tower!" Cyborg shouted.

If that were true, the automatons were in for a rude surprise. The Tower's defenses would cut them to pieces before they got past the foyer. Still, better not to let them get that far, just in case. Beast Boy pumped his wings faster.

From the wreckage of Brand's motorcycle, something moved, as if in response to the robot drones that had nearly reached it. With an indistinct roar, the teen swordsman rose from the shattered vehicle, blade flashing in time with another lightning strike, decapitating one of the Weapon robots.

The emerald shape-shifter dropped to the ground, taking his human form again. His mouth was open in shock, watching as Brand ducked under a scimitar slash and cut down another drone. "Uh, guys? What's going on?"

"It could be a trick," Raven said from above.

Cyborg was the closest to the melee and punched a robot into pieces with one metal fist. "Either way, he's doing our work for us," he shouted.

_But why?_  Beast Boy wondered.

It was over in minutes. Once the Titans had joined Brand in taking out the last few robots, it had been more of a rout than a fight. Now they stood surrounding the Weapon, the rain pounding them mercilessly, thunder and lightning adding percussion and pyrotechnics to the unfolding drama.

Brand, predictably, got the first word in. "You nearly killed me!" he shouted, half in anger, half simply to be heard over the rain.

"We thought you were attacking us," Starfire began, sounding ashamed. "We did not realize you were the one being pursued."

Raven cut in. Somehow, even through the entire battle, she had kept herself completely dry, her soul-self still acting as a mystical umbrella. "I'm still not convinced that you  _were_  being chased."

"Oh yeah," Brand countered sarcastically. "I came here to kill you, but I decided to destroy my backup before I made my move. What kind of sense does that make?"

Beast Boy sniffled and raised a hand. "Can we discuss this inside?" he asked.

"Not until we've settled this," Robin said firmly. "Why  _did_  you come here, Brand?"

The black-jacketed teen sighed heavily, the sound audible even over the rain. "After Raven tricked me into helping her rescue you," he glanced sidelong at the sorceress, who showed no reaction, "I rode south for a while, tried to put some distance between me and you. For all the obvious reasons and a few more. It wasn't long before," Brand knelt and picked up the severed head of one of the Weapon drones, " _these_  started showing up." He tossed the head back down and stomped on it, shattering it into metallic shards. "They're not much of a threat, as you've seen. The problem is," he swept an arm back to indicate the debris that littered the bridge, "There's a  _lot_  of them."

"Why are your own robots attacking you?" Beast Boy asked.

Brand skewered him with a withering glare. "Gee, I don't know. Because I failed my mission? Turned against Weapon? Killed Lance? Helped you escape? Take your pick."

The changeling shrank back, feeling the all-too-familiar embarrassment of being treated like an idiot.  _Like talking to Raven_ , he thought.

Brand went on. "They tried poisoning me, but when," he hesitated and glanced at Raven again, his cheek twitching, "when that didn't work, someone clearly thought they still needed to make an example of me."

"Anyways," the white-haired swordsman continued. "I switch locations. Ride further. Hide deeper. They keep finding me. Even these pieces of garbage could kill me if they caught me sleeping. And they're not letting up." Brand's jaw clenched. "So my old organization is after me, I have no associates, no friends, nowhere to go."

"And you came  _here_?" Cyborg asked, bemused.

Brand grit his teeth. "You think I had a choice? I need a place to lie low until the hunt is up, and you've got defenses here... alarms, weapons, countermeasures."

The bionic Titan smiled humorlessly, his teeth white in his dark face. "Or we could put you in a nice, safe jail cell. Which is where you belong anyway."

"You can't be serious!" Brand shouted, throwing up his arms. "The place is a sieve and you know it. I'd be dead within a week if you put me there. Weapon drones, assassins, a paid-off guard,  _anyone_  could take a crack at me in prison." He shook his head, furious. "You might as well kill me right now."

Starfire looked at Robin, managing to look adorable even with rain streaming down her face and plastering her red hair to her head. "If he truly does need our help," she said, "should we not give what assistance we can?"

The Weapon pounced without thinking. "That's right, I'm only in this situation because of you all." He pointed a finger at each of them in turn, skipping only Raven. "Besides, you owe me. I helped you escape from Weapon."

"You're an idiot," Raven said flatly. "You don't get credit for helping me when it's at least partially your fault they were in trouble in the first place."

Brand had the presence of mind to look abashed. He looked down and said nothing.

"Okay, we've heard enough," Robin said. "Let's go inside."

"Finally," Beast Boy muttered.

"Even me?" Brand asked at the same time.

Robin glanced back at the Weapon. "For now. We need to vote."

* * *

They put Brand in the same cell that Raven had put him in after his first failed attack. He was conscious this time, pacing back and forth as he ran a towel through his shaggy white hair to dry it, clearly angry at the treatment, but still sufficiently cowed by Raven's ire that he simply stewed in silence. The Titans gathered in the meeting room, a rarely used chamber that was made for any "official" Titans business. The team was run loosely enough that situations that called for it almost never happened, but this was one such time.

"It's going to be a simple up-or-down vote," Robin was saying. "Tell me what you think we should do. Explain yourself if you feel like you need to." There was a brief silence, the Titans glancing at each other, no one eager to go first.

_Why even bother?_  Beast Boy wondered, slouching down in his chair.  _You, Raven, and Cyborg are going to vote no anyway, and we all know it_.

Robin shrugged. "I guess I'll start then." He steepled his green-gloved hands in front of his masked face. "I think we should let him stay."

" _WHAT?!_ " the surprise around the table was simultaneous and unanimous.

"Two reasons," Robin said. "First, it's better to keep him here where we can keep an eye on him rather than wondering where he is or if he's going to come back." Cyborg started to protest, but Robin raised a hand to silence him. "Second, he's a strong, skilled fighter. If there's any possibility that we can turn him around, I think we should take the chance." The boy wonder turned to his cybernetic second-in-command. "Cyborg? What about you?"

"Send him to jail," Cyborg said without hesitation. "You know I didn't agree with you letting him go before, and I  _definitely_  don't agree with you keeping him in the tower. He tried to kill Raven. We have only his word that he won't do it again, and there's no way to guarantee this isn't a trick."

"Raven?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to the dark-cloaked teen.

Raven shook her head. "I don't want him here."

The Titans' leader sighed. "This is a decision that affects you closely, but we  _are_  still voting. If we decide to give him sanctuary, will you be okay with that?"

The sorceress's lips tightened, but she nodded.

Robin turned to the alien girl next to Raven. "What do you think, Starfire?"

The red-head looked apologetically at Raven. "While I recognize that Brand could be a danger to us, I do believe that he is in trouble. I would not like to be responsible for his death. I think we should allow him to stay." Raven inclined her head, acknowledging Starfire and forgiving her their differing opinion in one spare movement.

_Uh oh_ , Beast Boy thought.

"Well then it's up to you, Beast Boy," Robin said, turning at last to the changeling. "Do you think we should allow Brand to stay or not?"

The shape-shifter fidgeted, looking at the other Titans as if one of them would answer for him. "Can I pass?" he asked at last.

Robin frowned. "No."

_Oh man_ , Beast Boy thought, closing his emerald eyes.  _Cyborg's my friend, and Raven will kill me if I vote against her, but Robin thinks it'll be all right, so maybe we should trust him._ He shook his head.  _No, I'm thinking about this all wrong. It's not a popularity contest, I've got to make a decision_.

He knew why Cyborg didn't trust Brand. The Titans had already been betrayed by an outsider they had brought into the tower once before.  _Terra..._  She had gained their trust, learned their secrets, then sold them out to Slade. Terra had turned against her master at the end, sacrificing herself to save the entire city, but the scars she left ran deep. Beast Boy would know. They ran deepest in him.

But were the situations the same? How were they different? If Terra were to come back some day, as Beast Boy still hoped she would, the Titans would be having this same conversation. They'd be asking themselves if Terra could be trusted, if it was worth the danger of keeping her here. If it were the blonde geomancer they were discussing instead of the Weapon, Beast Boy knew how he would vote.

His eyes opened. "I think we should let him stay," he said. He looked down. "I think everyone deserves a second chance," he explained quietly.

The other Titans regarded him silently, knowing all too well what he was really saying.

"That's that, then," Robin said after a moment. "We let Brand stay." He looked at Cyborg and Raven. "I already have some ideas of how we can guarantee his behavior."

Raven stood up, and her eyes were cold. "I told you I'd abide by this decision, and I will," she said, her voice steely, "and I know you're hoping Brand can be turned." She shook her head, her dark hair swaying with the motion. "But you don't know him like I do. I've seen inside his mind, watched as he killed a man. I think you're wrong. I don't know that he  _wants_  to be redeemed."

* * *

"Looks like he's about to deck Robin," Beast Boy said, peeking in through the window that led to the Titans' medical bay. Brand was sitting on one of the beds with his shirt off, various sensors dotting his lean-muscled body, measuring his pulse, blood pressure, brain activity, heartbeat, and various other functions. One of the first things Cyborg had insisted on once the team had decided to give the Weapon sanctuary was a full medical check.

"We need to know what we're dealing with," he had said. Robin had agreed.

The second thing the team had unanimously agreed to was that they had to take Brand's weapons away. That was what Robin and Starfire were doing now, and the swordsman was clearly not happy about it. His face was red, his fists clenched, leaning forward aggressively.

Raven spoke up from where she was monitoring several medical displays. "I'd like to see him try," she said, responding to the shape-shifter's comment. Her eyebrow raised as she watched Brand's blood pressure spike with his anger. The medical bay was soundproof, but indistinct shouting could still be heard.

"Phew... looks like he's starting to see reason," Beast Boy narrated after a few minutes. He scooted away from the door and turned to face the other two Titans in the room. "You think..." he hesitated. "You think I made the right decision?"

Cyborg glanced at his friend with his human eye. "About Brand?" he asked. "Man, I don't know whether you're right or not, but it's not like it was your choice alone. You had your reasons for saying what you said, and I don't blame you for it."

The changeling's shoulders slumped in visible relief.

"You thought it through," Raven added. "It's good you took the decision seriously."

"Thanks," Beast Boy mumbled, blushing at the rare words of praise and looking away.

The door to the medical bay slid open and Robin and Starfire entered the monitor room, Brand's sword, sheath and all, hanging over Robin's shoulder, Lance's collapsed spear in one hand. "What'd you find out?" the boy wonder asked as the door hissed shut again.

The bionic Titan regarded his screens with both human and cybernetic eyes. "Well he's human," he said. "Mostly."

"'Mostly'?" Starfire asked, perking up noticeably. "Could 'the Brand' be extraterrestrial, like me?"

Cyborg grinned at the alien girl. "Sorry, Star, not what I meant. He's definitely from around here, but he's not exactly stock."

"Meaning what?" Robin asked.

The dark-skinned Titan turned to face the younger man squarely, finding that the other Titans were gathered around, listening. "For starters, he's been..." Cyborg hesitated, looking for the word he wanted, "modified. Muscles, skin, bones, all stronger than anything I've ever seen in a normal human."

Robin looked curious. "And that's not just good conditioning?"

"Not a chance," Cyborg replied, shaking his head. "I don't think it's even theoretically possible to get these kinds of results from normal training. No, someone did some work on our boy. A special serum, genetic tampering, I don't know. There's no sign of cybernetic implants, so we can rule that out. We're not talking super strength or super speed, but he's at the upper end of human potential."

"Any sign of stress or injury?" Raven asked from her spot at the computers. "He said he was getting chased around by Weapon drones for a while. Can we corroborate that?"

Cyborg grimaced. "Afraid not, because the enhancements aren't limited to making him stronger and faster. You remember saying that when you went up against Lance, he didn't show any sign of injury from our earlier fight?"

The sorceress nodded, her lips twitching downward at the memory.

"Well we definitely hurt him," Cyborg said. "I know for a fact Starfire burned him with a couple starbolts, but it looks like the Weapons heal at a faster rate than normal people. If there was any sign of constant fighting, it's been erased by now."

"You mean if you shot him, the bullet would pop right back out and he'd be fine?" Beast Boy asked, eyes wide.

The bionic Titan raised his hands as if to physically reject the idea. "Not nearly that fast. He's not invincible by a long shot. But he heals up pretty quick. A deep cut could heal in an hour or two. A gunshot in a little over a day. A broken bone, depending on the severity, maybe half a week."

Robin rubbed his chin, his masked eyes fixed on an indeterminate point between them. "Interesting." He looked up. "Cyborg, do you know of anyone that could enhance someone the way that Brand has been? STAR Labs? Lexcorp? Anyone?"

The half-machine shrugged. "If there is, they're keeping quiet about it. But there's all kinds of research being done that I don't know about. Hell, most people don't even know the technology that made me what I am exists."

"Did you find out anything else?" The boy wonder asked.

"Not really," Cyborg answered, turning back to his displays. "All his vitals read perfect, but that's not surprising knowing what we know now. Can't exactly determine his age, but from what I'm seeing, about the same as me: seventeen."

Robin nodded. "Well that's that, then." He hefted Brand's weapons in his hands. "I have to lock these up, so one of you needs to show Brand to his room. Not Raven," he added the last part quickly, clearly not willing to risk that Brand would not attempt to attack her if the two were left alone.

"Well BB, Star," Cyborg began, "Rock, paper, scissors for it?" He turned back to the others and looked around. The two other Titans had vanished. They had snuck out as soon as Robin said one of them had to deal with Brand. "Oh, that little grass stain is gonna' pay for this," the bionic Titan growled, focusing his ire on Beast Boy.

"Thanks, Cyborg," Robin said, already leaving the room. The dark-skinned teen raised a mechanical hand in protest, but the boy wonder was gone. Cyborg sighed heavily and noticed Raven staring at him.

"What's up, Rae?" he asked, uncomfortable with the way her violet eyes seemed to see straight through him.

Raven's gaze didn't falter. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Cyborg furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you just found out that someone out there has a technology that allows for faster healing of wounds. You're wondering how long they've had that capability, and you're asking yourself if it was possible that maybe you could have come out of that car crash... different."

The bionic Titan's human eye closed. It was unnerving how easily Raven could read people. "Yeah..." he said. "Look, I'm at peace with who I am now. I've faced that part of me, but it  _was_  one of the first things I thought of. Could the kind of enhancements Brand received have saved me back then? I don't know."

He shook his head. "But it's the same question I ask myself every day. 'Could things have been different?' Maybe, but it doesn't change who I am. My life is what it's meant to be." He gave the dark-cloaked girl a half-smile. "I'm fine. Really."

"I know you are," Raven said gravely. "I just wanted to make sure  _you_  know you are." With that, she walked out into the hall, her steady footsteps fading rapidly.

Cyborg's half-smile broadened into a full one as his teammate left. "Softy," he muttered under his breath. He straightened and took a deep breath, preparing himself.

Time to deal with their guest.

* * *

This door didn't slide open, it rolled back like a vault door, heavy and thick. The room beyond was small and sparse, the walls a bland off-white and the thin carpet a dark blue.  _A cell by any other name_ , Cyborg thought. It wasn't as good as keeping Brand in prison, but it was the next best thing. The tall, broad Titan stepped aside, indicating the room beyond with one titanium arm.

"Cozy," Brand said, not quite able to keep the sarcastic tone from his voice. "I'm sure I've got the best room in the place."

Cyborg ignored him. "Bathroom's right there," he said, pointing to another door across from the one the two stood at. "Don't expect much, but it has a shower. No TV, no computer access, and the door auto-locks from the outside at 10 o'clock every night until 6 o'clock every morning. If you somehow start a fire or something and  _need_  to get out of the room during the night, the mainframe's sensors will detect it and decide whether to open or not."

The Weapon listened to the litany, clearly getting more angry at every limitation put on him. "Yes, I get it," he growled after Cyborg was finished. "Believe it or not, I didn't come here because I was expecting a luxury vacation. I've stayed in much worse places than this."

"Uh-huh," Cyborg said, rolling his one good eye, unimpressed with the white-haired teen's outburst.

Brand squeezed past the bionic Titan and dropped into the bed, putting his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. The room was lit by a buzzing fluorescent rod that cast a harsh white light into the room. "Nevermind. I hate it already," he said after a moment. He turned his head to look at Cyborg where he still stood in the doorway. "Give me one of the good rooms."

The Titans' second-in-command crossed his metal arms. "Give me one reason I should," he said.

"Because it'll get me closer to you all so I can more easily betray you," Brand said with a perfectly straight face. Cyborg just stared at him in disbelief. The Weapon smirked, but the expression was hard-edged. "That's what you expected, right?"

This time it was Cyborg's turn to get angry. "Your attitude? It's not helping," he said between grit teeth, and closed the heavy door. He hesitated for a moment, then locked it, even though it wasn't yet 10 o'clock. This whole thing was off to a great start.

* * *

Brand slept for a solid twelve hours, waking a little after eight the next morning. He rose and washed, still unable to quite believe he had been able to rest without interruption. No Weapon drones, no Killshot, no Titans kicking him out in the middle of the night... it was an odd feeling. He found himself smiling at the absurdity of his situation. He was literally sleeping with the enemy now. The very people he had been sent to fight and kill were now the ones sheltering him. Lance would laugh in his face. Saber would flense him alive.

In all honesty, although he had asked for sanctuary, he had never really believe he would get it. It was ridiculous to consider that a group of people, even these so-called superheroes, would be so forgiving as to let a former enemy stay. And yet here he was. Funny how things worked out sometimes.

He wondered absently how the voting had come down. He wondered what Raven thought of his being here. His smile faded.

The Weapon finished scrubbing off the accumulated filth of several weeks on the run and came back into the room proper, casting about for his sword, and then he remembered that Robin had taken it. "Dammit," he muttered, feeling naked without his namesake blade. It didn't help that the clothes he wore were in tatters, washed by hand on the rare occasions he had had time and water to try to clean them. The rain last night had probably been the only reason he hadn't smelled like some street vagabond. The Titans probably wouldn't even have voted, they would have kicked him to the curb immediately. He made a mental note to see about getting something new to wear.

Opening the thick door, he found that someone had anticipated him. Black pants and a red t-shirt nearly identical to those he wore lay neatly folded on the floor. They must have gotten his measurements during his medical exam. Still, it was another bizarrely nice gesture. Brand shrugged and closed the door again, taking the new clothes with him, he changed, feeling much better: Rested, cleaned, and pressed. He dropped his ragged black Weapon jacket at the food of the bed, feeling even more naked without it.

Finally, he left his room, only looking to find something to eat but still feeling like a thief. Were there cameras watching? Did the new clothes have a tracking device sewn into them? Brand couldn't believe they'd give him the run of the place without taking some additional precautions. But maybe that was just the Weapon in him. He remembered his conversation with Raven about compassion and mercy.  _A choice_ , he thought, his lips curling in a faint smile.  _Odd choice_.

It took him a while, but he finally found what he was looking for, making his way up the tower until the sound of voices led him to the highest level. The big door to the common room was open, and he could hear the Titans bantering between each other, squabbling over breakfast, teasing, going over their plans for the day.

A sense of unreality gripped Brand, and he paused for a long moment, pressed against the wall on one side of the open portal. He felt like an alien, an intruder, an outsider, as if he had snuck into someone else's house without permission. He didn't belong here, and, listening to the five teens on the other side of the wall, hearing how comfortable they were with each other, how cheerful, he didn't think he ever could, even if he had wanted to. The Weapon bolstered his resolve, summoning his anger and contempt, his disdain for these do-gooders, and the moment passed.

All conversation ceased as Brand swaggered through the door, and five pairs of eyes turned towards him. His resolve cracked, and he felt his lip twitch. All the Titans were gathered around the kitchen counter, a massive stack of waffles between them. They were all in uniform, and here he was, without his sword, without even his Weapon jacket. Exposed.  _I wonder if that was intentional_ , he mused.

Starfire was the first to recover. "Good morning, 'the Brand'!" she exclaimed, as cheerful as she always seemed to be, flying over to his side. Brand tried not to raise his fists defensively. "I see you have found the new clothes we had made for you."

"Well..." the white-haired teen faltered.  _What do normal people say at a time like this?_  Nothing came to mind. "They were hard to miss," he finished. The alien girl seemed to droop momentarily. "Could you make me a new jacket, too?" Brand asked, struggling to sound polite. It didn't work at all. His request sounded more like a gruff demand. He saw Raven roll her eyes where she sat at the counter.

Starfire didn't seem to mind the Weapon's tone. She perked up. "Of course! I would be happy to make something in the Tamaranean 'chrr'ak' style. I believe it would look quite fetching on you."

_'Chrr'ak'?_ Brand asked himself, completely baffled. He looked at the other Titans for some kind of sign of what the heck that meant, but Robin was focused entirely on his breakfast, Raven was studiously ignoring him, and Cyborg and Beast Boy were silently laughing. "Uh... just make it like the one I was wearing," he said at last, facing the red-head again.

"Even better!" Starfire chirped. "I will make you one of each!" She flew past him and down the hall, eager to work on her new project.

The other Titans had stopped pretending not to pay attention. The changeling and the bionic Titan were snickering audibly now, Robin was smiling, and even Raven's lips seemed to have curved slightly upward. Brand felt like an idiot. If this was some kind of carefully orchestrated plan to keep him off-balance, it was working entirely too well. He fairly stomped across the floor to the kitchen, making for the open chair between Raven and Robin. Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged a glance, then the shape-shifter transformed into a frog and leapt into the empty seat before shifting back, the half-machine scooting quickly into the vacated stool next to Raven.

Brand felt his hands clench into fists, but changed course without comment to the empty chair that now sat between Cyborg and Robin, on the opposite end of the counter from Raven. He couldn't really blame the others for putting as much space between him and the teen sorceress as possible, considering he had made a serious effort to kill her only a month ago, but he still found it irritating.

The waffles were good. Better by far than the food the Weapon had scavenged while on the run. He dug in with enthusiasm, pausing only to stare momentarily at the bottle of mustard that sat on the counter next a half-eaten plate of waffles.  _Why would...?_  He mentally shrugged, choosing to ignore it, and went back to his breakfast.

They ate silently for several minutes, and Brand was all too aware again of how clearly he didn't belong here. Even though he was enjoying the meal, his shoulders remained tensed the entire time.

"Sleep all right?" Robin asked, surprising the white-haired teen.

Brand took his time, swallowing his last bite of fluffy waffle, considering his possible answers. He could almost feel Raven waiting for him to say something snarky and rude. "Well I'm still alive," he said at last, choosing a safe response. Nothing else came to mind, but he felt awkward not elaborating. "It's the most sleep I've gotten in a while," he added.

The Titans' leader stood up. "Good! I was hoping you'd say that."

"Oh?" Brand asked cautiously, peering up at the masked teen.

Robin gave him a sly smile. "How do you feel about a little sparring?" he asked. "I want to see what you're made of."

The Weapon's lips curled into a slow smile.  _A fight against Robin? Interesting_. Even Brand had to admit a grudging respect for the way the lead Titan had fought against Saber. He wondered how he would fare. "Sounds like a plan," he answered with a grin, pushing aside his plate and rising from his seat.

The two teens, black hair and white hair, walked out of the room, Robin leading the way to the Titans' gym. Behind them, Brand heard Beast Boy's voice: "Oh man, I am not going to miss this!" he said. Stools and dishes clattered as Cyborg and the changeling scrambled out of their chairs to follow.

* * *

Raven was not as eager as her teammates to watch the two fight, but when Starfire returned, the sorceress was forced to explain where everyone had gone, and the Tamaranean girl had nearly dragged her friend to the gym to be a spectator. Entering the massive room, they had found a scene straight out of one of the highschool dramas that Starfire was endlessly watching. Brand was on one side of the room, Robin on the other. Cyborg and Beast Boy stood on Robin's side of the room, cheering him on. Cyborg even had a holographic scoreboard emitting from his chest. Robin 3; Brand 0. All that was missing was the chanting of "Fight, fight, fight!"

"This is pointless," Raven said. Starfire wasn't listening, she flew over to Robin's side of the room to join his cheering section.

Robin was calm and focused, settled into a martial arts stance, waiting for the next round to begin. Brand, on the other hand, was clearly fuming. He pounded one fist into his open palm, teeth bared in a snarl. Raven frowned at the sight, knowing the disparity in score had less to do with a lack of fighting talent on the Weapon's part than it might have seemed.

"Round four!" Cyborg shouted. "Fight!"

Even as the words left the dark-skinned Titan's mouth, Brand was already a blur of motion. Raven's eyes widened slightly. She had forgotten how fast the Weapons could move. Robin was already countering, however, twisting away from Brand's punch, ducking under his kick, and slapping aside his next strike. Despite herself, Raven found that she was mesmerized. The white-haired teen was good, but Robin had trained with the best, and at times like this, it showed. Enhanced speed or not, Brand could not hit the smaller fighter, and if he couldn't hit Robin, then that enhanced strength was meaningless.

That left only one thing. Enhanced durability.

Robin deflected another attack and countered with one of his own, a flat palmed strike to the chest that staggered the Weapon, followed up by a fierce kick that sent Brand to the ground, sliding along the polished wood floor on his back nearly to where Raven stood at the door.

She could feel the other Titans tense up, seeing how close the Weapon was to the sorceress, but Brand didn't even glance back at her, he got to his knees and slammed a fist against the ground, still focused entirely on Robin. Raven watched him for a moment, considering.

"You kind of took that one on the chin, didn't you?" she asked.

Brand spun as if shot, surprised to see her behind him. His surprise turned to anger a moment later, an emotion that Raven had found was his default setting. "Aren't you on the wrong side of the room?" he sneered.

Raven glared at him. "I won't be here long. You're just going to keep losing. I don't need to be here for that." She watched his fists tighten, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to come up with a suitable retort. His hands went limp at his side and he looked away.

"I don't get it," he said. "I'm faster than him, I'm stronger than him. He shouldn't be able to even keep up with me."

" _I don't know that he_ wants  _to_   _be redeemed_ ," Raven heard herself say in her memory. She still didn't know if Brand could overcome his rage and killing instinct, but she had to at least try. "Robin isn't fighting you with his muscles," she explained. "He's fighting you with his mind. He's thinking, and you're reacting because you're always angry." The Weapon's jaw clenched, but with an effort, he relaxed again. "You've got to fight smarter, and that means you can't fight emotionally."

"It's just that easy, huh?" Brand asked sarcastically.

The sorceress's violet-eyed gaze was steady. "I didn't say it would be easy," she replied. "It's  _never_  easy."

The white-haired teen let out a snort of laughter and turned back towards Robin.

"Round five!" Cyborg called. "Fight!"

Brand moved forward more cautiously this time, approaching slowly, almost casually. It wasn't until he had closed within striking distance that he suddenly jabbed with his right hand, cobra-quick, but Robin had been anticipating the move, already dodging to one side. But the attack had been a feint, and Brand uppercut viciously with his left fist, and only Robin's fighting instincts saved him as he leaned back, the punch whiffing past his mask by mere centimeters.

Despite the evasion, the lead Titan was off-balance now, fighting Brand's fight instead of the reverse. Robin deflected the follow-up attack, dodged the elbow strike, and was forced to actually block another punch. Even though the Weapon's fist hadn't hit its mark, the force of the attack pushed his opponent back nearly a foot.

Brand used his speed, not letting up on the attack, not allowing Robin time to react or counterattack. If the fight before this had been a good example of fighting prowess on Robin's part, this was a great one from both sides. Brand was finally learning to fight an opponent in a way that didn't just involve brute-force, and whatever training he had received in hand-to-hand fighting was clearly extensive, pushing even Robin to use all his skills.

The fight ended in a draw, with Robin barely stopping a punch directed at his temple. Cyborg had to step in at last to stop the two from continuing their battle, programming another column into his hologram, which now read "4-0-1". Robin stepped forward to congratulate Brand on the fight, the other Titans joining in to comment on the bout.

Raven watched for another few moments, then nodded in satisfaction, turned, and walked away.

* * *

"That was  _intense_!" Beast Boy cried, arms waving. "There aren't many people who can stand toe-to-toe with Robin."

Starfire nodded her agreement. "Indeed, yours and Robin's toes were nearly evenly matched."

_What?_  Brand asked himself, staring quizzically at the alien girl. He wondered if he would ever understand what the red-head was talking about.

Robin was smiling easily, apparently completely nonplussed by their strenuous battle. "I had a feeling you had it in you," he said. "What did Raven say to you anyway? It sure made a difference."

The Weapon waved a hand dismissively, feeling strangely reluctant to share his and the sorceress's private conversation. "Nothing I hadn't already heard," he improvised. He turned to steal a glance at Raven, but she was already gone. The masked Titan's smile shrank slightly. He clearly didn't believe the answer, but he didn't push the issue.

"Either way," the boy wonder continued, "I have something for you." Cyborg came up, carrying something in his arms. Brand's eyes narrowed. It couldn't be, but the hilt, the crossguard, the sheath... were they seriously returning his sword? Robin took the object from Cyborg and handed it to the Weapon.

His heartbeat quickening, Brand took it, hand tightening around the hilt and pulled it free.

Then almost laughed despite his disappointment. These superheroes were getting depressingly good at fooling him.

"It's a stick," he said before he could stop himself.

While the hilt, pommel, and crossguard were indeed a nearly-perfect replica of those from Brand's actual sword, instead of a blade, this was just a pole a little under a meter long. There was no cutting edge, no blade, not even a point. It was just a cylinder coming out from the hilt.

Cyborg looked as offended as Brand felt. "I was working on this all last night!" he said. "It's not just a stick, it's the 'T-sword'."

Brand stared at the bionic Titan. "'T-sword'," he repeated dully.

"Made of the same material that Robin's staff is made of," Cyborg explained enthusiastically. "And feel that balance, that weight. This is Titans' tech."

_This is some kind of horrible joke_ , Brand thought.

Robin at least seemed to understand the white-haired teen's confusion. "We still can't give you back your blade, but this is at least something. An edgeless sword like this is what you need. It's a weapon that's not made to kill."

"Why give me a weapon at all?" Brand asked, feeling like he had stumbled into some kind of trap.

The lead Titan's masked eyes narrowed, and he smiled in a predatory fashion. "Call it your rent for staying here," he said. "If you stay, you work, and you know what that means?" Brand stared at the shorter teen, blue eyes filled with dread.

_He can't be serious._

"You're going to help us fight crime," Robin concluded.

_He's serious._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was originally two chapters, right up until the day I posted it. See if you can spot where the original chapter break was.
> 
> I'm not sure how it happened, but a good portion of this chapter is from Beast Boy's POV. I can't recall now if that was intentional to throw the character a bone (seeing Raven and OC in the fanfic description might make people think I was intending to marginalize characters), but it works. I have plans. Everyone has something to do.
> 
> Very important that Brand doesn't win against Robin even once. Just as important as the fact that he has no real "superpowers".


	7. Outsider II: A Good Day

"Titans, attack that heart!" Robin cried, pointing at their adversary. As if they could miss seeing the mechanical monstrosity that rose from the grade-school playground. It was vaguely ovoid, red and silver, with thick metallic tentacles trailing from the main body. It did, indeed, look like a heart, and not a Valentine's Day heart, but the actual medical muscle. Children – its preferred prey – scattered screaming from the creature, leaving the battlefield relatively clear.

Kardiak was a new foe for Brand. He glanced at Raven. "Please tell me this thing is some kind of robot," he said. The teen sorceress nodded without looking at him. "Excellent," the Weapon said, peeling his lips back in a predatory grin. That meant he didn't have to hold back. Another three weeks had passed since the white-haired swordsman had started "earning his keep", and he had quickly learned that the Titans did not condone the kind of force that Brand was willing to bring to bear, at least not against biological foes. Mechanical ones were another matter.

He drew the "T-sword", still wishing that he had a real weapon, but at least it was something. Merely drawing it from the sheathe on his back was something of a psychological booster during a fight. The swordsman charged forward with the Titans, and Kardiak responded by raising its tentacles.

"Watch out!" Cyborg called. "It's faster than it looks!"

_So am I_ , Brand thought fiercely. One massive metallic vein whipped down at him, and the Weapon weaved aside, another swiped from the side and he vaulted it. For a brief moment, it looked like his speed was the greater, but the first tentacle struck again from behind, knocking the white-haired teen to the turf and sending him skidding past his target.

Familiar sounds washed over him. The odd  _zap_  of Starfire's starbolts as they struck home, the hum of Cyborg's sonic cannon, some animal bellow from Beast Boy, the short lived explosion of Robin's projectiles, and Raven's "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" They were the soundtrack to his existence now. Three weeks of fighting by the side of his enemies, three weeks of playing at being a hero, three weeks of lectures and corrections and judgment.

But little by little, things had been improving. Conversations were still stilted when Brand was around, but they didn't stop entirely. He wasn't constantly keeping himself a hair's-breadth away from attacking or being attacked. His win-loss record against Robin was still poor, but at least his win column was no longer zero. It was an odd existence, but one he no longer found intolerable. In fact, he was beginning to find a certain comfort in his situation. Maybe Raven had been right. Maybe he  _could_  choose to change.

And if not, hey, he had plenty of opportunities to let out his aggression on acceptable targets.

Brand rolled onto his back just in time to see yet another tentacle whipping towards him. He rolled aside and the metal appendage slammed into the ground, sending up a spray of dirt and grass. Another swooped down and Brand parried the thick limb with his enhanced strength and the T-sword, which was as strong as Cyborg had promised, though it rang with the impact. The Weapon vaulted to his feet, deflecting another attack before leaping forward, a gleeful grin on his face, and slamming the main body with the sword. His jump took him past the monster and he landed on the other side in a crouch.

Kardiak hit the ground hard from the force of the attack, but it wasn't down for the count. The ends of the nearby tentacles opened up and a strong suction gripped Brand, pulling him towards the opening, back towards the creature. The white-haired teen started sliding towards the dark heart until he stabbed the T-sword deep into the soil and used it to anchor himself.

"Time for some heart pounding action!" Cyborg shouted, leaping past Brand, using the suction to propel himself forward to punch the monstrosity with one massive metal fist. Kardiak skidded across the ground, leaving a long furrow through the dirt. A trailing tentacle slapped the bionic Titan aside before he could follow up his attack, but a wave of green energy from Starfire burned into the robot heart, keeping it pinned to the ground. Beast Boy transformed into a donkey and kicked the creature hard, making another furrow in the landscaped turf.

Tentacles sprayed everywhere, a desperate defensive move to buy Kardiak some space, but a swarm of birdarangs whistled through the air, cutting them apart at full extension. Raven chanted, her voice droning, and the creature was encased in dark energy. It struggled for another moment or two, then seemed to simply fall apart.

The Titans and the Weapon gathered around the fallen, vibrating pieces of their enemy. Brand spoke without thinking.

"Looks like we've got a heart beat," he said with a smirk, looking around at the gathered faces. The others stared at him in disbelief for a long moment, long enough for Brand to wish he had kept his mouth shut. Then Beast Boy snickered, Starfire giggled, Cyborg grinned, and even Robin smiled, inclining his head in acknowledgment.

"Dude, nice one!" Beast Boy said, holding up a hand for a high-five. Brand pointedly ignored the gesture, and the shape-shifter slowly, awkwardly lowered the limb.

"Don't encourage him," Raven said, rolling her eyes and glaring at the other Titans. "Congratulations, he's picking up your bad habits," she said to her friends. "What's next? Stankball?"

"There's an idea," Cyborg said, his eyes lighting up... literally in the case of his mechanical eye. "What do you say, Brand, how about we go back to the Tower, gather up whatever's in BB's laundry hamper, and -"

"No," Brand said flatly. Beast Boy opened his mouth to continue the pitch, and the Weapon skewered him with his eyes. " _No_ ," he repeated more firmly. The changeling's mouth snapped shut.

The Titans and the Weapon remained on the scene until a police clean-up crew arrived to take custody of Kardiak, whose pieces had stopped moving. Brand watched as they carted the inert sections away, wondering how long it would be until the creature reconstituted and escaped. It had apparently done so before and he had no doubt it would again. Just as well that the Titans hadn't thrown Brand in jail. He'd be dead for sure with security that lax.

Afterwards, Robin mounted his motorcycle and the remaining Titans and Brand climbed into the T-Car, Cyborg's pride and joy. Even the swordsman had to admit it was a sleek vehicle, tricked out with just about every imaginable device, but, just as Raven had said when Brand had first seen the car almost two months ago, it was inextricably linked to the cybernetic Titan. The Weapon would never have a chance to try his hand behind the wheel.

As ever, Raven rode shotgun in the front passenger seat, Beast Boy behind her, Starfire next to him, then Brand in the remaining seat. Even now, no one trusted the white-haired teen to be physically closer to Raven than absolutely necessary. For her part, the sorceress didn't acknowledge the protective behavior one way or the other.

That was the hell of it.

Brand watched the dark-cloaked teen out of the corner of his eye. She was a mystery he couldn't solve, the niggling thought in the back of his mind, the word on the tip of his tongue, forever beyond his understanding. He wouldn't pretend that he had  _befriended_  the other Titans or earned their trust, but they had at least softened towards him. Even Cyborg would occasionally try to joke around with the Weapon. Not so with Raven. She ignored him most of the time, and the rest of the time said very little to him. Aside from that first sparring session with Robin, she had essentially left him to his own devices.

_Fine with me,_  Brand thought. After all, what did he care about what the sorceress thought?  _Nothing_. But he glanced at her again anyways.

His view of Raven was eclipsed as Starfire leaned forward in the middle seat. "Friend Raven," she said in a sing-song voice. "Now that the hideous heart has been defeated, and it is not yet evening, perhaps today would be a good day for you to fulfill your promise to go to the mall of shopping with me."

"'The hideous heart'?" Raven repeated. "Starfire, I didn't know you read Poe."

Starfire blinked in confusion. "I... have not," she admitted. "Was Kardiak not heart-shaped? And hideous?"

Raven sighed and Brand smiled, amused to see that it wasn't only him that was constantly misunderstanding the Tamaranean's words. "Nevermind. Anyway, I suppose today would be as good a day as any to get your shopping trip over with." She did not sound enthused, but Starfire didn't seem to notice or mind. She made a high-pitched noise of delight.

"You two going to the mall?" Cyborg asked. "Mind if I tag along? I could use some town-time on my downtime."

The alien girl beamed at her cybernetic teammate. "We would be happy for you to join us, friend Cyborg!"

"Great, you can take my place," Raven said, but Starfire would have none of it.

"No," she pouted, "you promised to go. You said we could go 'in cob neato'."

"Incognito," Raven corrected her absently. "And if Cyborg's coming, there's no way we're not going to draw all kinds of attention."

Cyborg cut in. "Hey, hey, are you forgetting about the holographic disguise I used to infiltrate the HIVE? I can be as inconspicuous as you can. Same goes for the T-car." He turned his head to glance at Beast Boy, who was uncharacteristically quiet. "What about you, BB, up for a trip to the mall?"

The changeling started guiltily, then leaned forward and made a show of checking the clock in the dashboard. "Uh, actually, I have to be somewhere," he said nervously.

"Where could you possibly have to go?" Raven asked, just a hint of scorn in her words.

"Is it a date?" Cyborg asked before Beast Boy could answer.

Sinking back into his seat, Beast Boy replied, "No."

"Is it life or death?" Cyborg continued.

"No," Beast Boy repeated, sounding miserable.

"Then you're coming with us," the dark-skinned teen concluded. "I'll whip up a holographic ring for you, too."

Starfire was positively ecstatic. "I will convince Robin to go with us as well," she said. The red-head pivoted to Brand, who sat staring out the window as the city passed by, not really paying attention to the meaningless conversation. "And you must come, too, Brand," she declared.

The Weapon looked at the alien girl, the blood draining from his face. "It... doesn't really sound like my kind of thing," he stuttered, looking for a better excuse. The idea of wandering around Jump City with the Titans as a social occasion did not appeal to him. Inspiration struck. "Besides, I really shouldn't be out of the Tower any more than necessary. I am on the run, after all."

"Could we not make Brand 'incognito' as well?" Starfire asked, turning back to the two Titans in the front seats.

Cyborg waved one hand dismissively. "Not a problem. Lose the jacket, cover up the hair, no ones knows who he is. Besides," he continued, his voice lowering, "I'm  _not_  leaving him in the Tower by himself." Brand grimaced.

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed. "Then we shall all go together!"

Before Brand could say the words, Raven beat him to the punch. "Just one big, happy family," she muttered sarcastically.

* * *

The white-haired teen frowned, looking at his reflection in the glass of the Titans' living room. He reached up to readjust the black stocking cap he wore for the umpteenth time. The hat covered up most of his striking hair, but the ends stuck out from under the edge. Still, it wasn't nearly as noticeable as it usually was, especially when he wasn't wearing his jacket or any weapons. In just dark pants and a sleeveless black t-shirt, Brand looked almost normal.

The way he  _felt_ , however, was the complete and utter opposite of normal. "How did I get talked into this?" he asked aloud.

In the glass, he saw Cyborg's reflection approach. Or rather... "Stone's" reflection. Brand tried not to stare, unused to seeing the big Titan looking fully human in his holographic guise, wearing dark trousers and a hooded sweatshirt. The reflection held up a hand, one finger extended. "One: I already told you I'm not leaving you alone in the tower." Another finger rose. "Two: I know you're Mister 'I'm-a-professional-killer-bred-for-combat', but everyone needs some actual R&R, and you haven't had any since you got here." A third finger. "Three: It makes you uncomfortable, which makes me laugh."

Brand clenched his fists. "Yeah, yeah, have your fun," he said, turning from the reflected image to face the actual Cyborg. "When I inevitably turn against you, I'll make sure to remember you said that."

Three weeks ago, a comment like that would have had Cyborg locking him up in a cell. Now it merely made his smile shrink slightly. "Oh right, your big revenge scheme. Just take your time with that... don't want you to mess it up and have to ask to stay with us  _again_."

The Weapon almost smiled. Almost.

Robin walked in through the door, dressed in blue jeans and a black-and-yellow Gotham Knights jersey. Sunglasses covered his eyes as effectively as the mask did, and Brand wondered if the shades were there just to keep  _him_  from seeing the boy wonder's true face. Surely, the other Titans knew what he looked like under the mask. "Let me guess," the lead Titan said. "We're still waiting for the girls."

"And Beast Boy," Cyborg corrected. "Not sure what's taking him so long."

Robin frowned. "I thought Beast Boy already left," he said. "He told me he had somewhere to be."

Brand shrugged. "He told us the same thing. You actually believed him?"

"That little green bean better not have snuck out on us," Cyborg growled, taking out his communicator and hailing his younger friend.

The boy wonder leaned back against the counter. "He's been doing this for a while now," he said, speaking of the absent shape-shifter. "Ever since we defeated the Brotherhood of Evil, Beast Boy will go off on his own every couple of days. He comes back in a few hours and never tells us where he's been."

"And you don't have any theories?" Brand asked, raising an eyebrow. He had seen Robin's detective skills in action and found it difficult to believe that the dark-haired young man hadn't solved this minor mystery.

Robin stared back at him. "It's none of our business," he said, his tone making it clear that he wouldn't be answering any more questions about it.

"Right," Brand said, smiling faintly.  _By which you mean that it's none of_ my  _business_ , he thought. "Maybe it's an animal thing," he said out loud. Cyborg mumbled incoherently beside him, clearly frustrated at not being able to raise the emerald changeling.

A colorful flash flew into the room. It was Starfire, looking stylish in black boots, blue jeans, and wearing a green tank-top over a short-sleeved black undershirt. She floated in close to Robin, smiling happily. Brand watched - his own lip twisting down a bit - seeing Robin's answering grin. The two of them were so clearly an item, even though they mostly tried to remain "professional", that even someone as completely clueless about romance as Brand could see it.

He tried to imagine someone looking at him the way Starfire was looking at Robin and couldn't picture it. That kind of relationship was as alien to the Weapon as Starfire herself was to Earth. It wasn't even something the Brand of a month ago would have considered, but his time among the Titans had been a learning experience, a glimpse into the lives of people who actually had friends and lovers. He found it confusing and unsettling. There was only one other person in the Tower that might share his views, and she wasn't interested in talking with him.

_Speak of the devil_ , Brand thought, looking up from his introspection in time to see Raven join the others. His head tilted to the side as he took in what the dark-haired teen was wearing. It wasn't especially flashy, but Brand had never seen this side of the girl. She wore tight dark pants and a dark blue long-sleeved blouse. A headband the same color as her shirt completed the ensemble, covering the identifying gem on her ajna chakra and pushing back her hair just a bit.

She looked so human that Brand found himself staring at her as if she were a stranger. He remembered the first time he had seen Raven without her hood and how he had thought the same thing. It was as if the sorceress were some kind of puzzle box where removing a layer only revealed something more complex underneath. He realized that he really didn't know her at all.

_But she definitely looks nice_ , his brain thought treacherously before he could clamp down on the thought. He found his lip had curled into another faint smile.

Raven turned to spear him with her amethyst eyes. "Something funny?" she asked.

The Weapon recalled several weeks ago when the two of them had just been about to head out to rescue the other Titans, when Raven had put Brand's sword on her back. She had asked the same question in the exact same tone, and he had laughed at her.

He didn't laugh this time. "No," he said, the half-smile still on his face. "No there isn't. I didn't expect it, but it suits you."

She tried to glare at him, but it didn't seem to have the power it usually did. Part of that was that her face had darkened a bit in the slightest of blushes. Brand's smile broadened. Even that tiny display of emotion from the teen sorceress was the equivalent of anyone else shouting in his face.  _I surprised her_ , Brand thought in amazement. Raven turned away from him.

"Can we get this over with, please?" she said, her voice under perfect control.

Cyborg threw his hands up in the air. "Well I can't get a hold of Beast Boy," he complained.

"It's fine," Robin said, holding up a hand to try to calm his friend down. "We'll just go without him. We wouldn't have all been able to fit in the T-car anyway."

Brand suddenly realized that the time for preparation was over. He was actually going to have to go to the mall with the Titans. He shook his head in despair.  _I'd almost rather fight Kardiak again_ , he thought.

* * *

_I'd_ definitely  _rather fight Kardiak again_ , Brand thought an hour later.

He stood, at a loss, in a sea of people. Children, adults, teenagers, all different sizes and shapes and colors... there was no clear order, no clear threat; all was Chaos. School was out for the day, and it was a Friday. The Weapon sidled through knots of gathered friends and families, his shoulders tensed, the surrounding noise reduced to an indistinguishable buzz of conversation. His hand ached for his sword, not to use, just to have as a lifeline to what he considered normality.

He had never been so uncomfortable in his life.

_And this is supposed to be fun_ , he reminded himself. Brand could see now why Raven seemed so reluctant to go on this little excursion.

At least the Weapon could take some comfort in the fact that his disguise was working. Barely anyone gave him a second glance, too consumed in their own lives to pay particular attention to just another kid with weird hair peeking out from under his cap.

There was a tap on his shoulder, and Brand nearly lashed out in instinctive self-defense before realizing that it was Starfire. He blinked, still unused to seeing any of the Titans in civilian clothes. Aside from her oddly shaped eyebrows and the too-tan tone of her skin, the Tamaranean looked almost normal. The tall girl smiled widely at him, staring straight into his eyes with always-startling frankness.

"It this not wonderful?" she exclaimed. She had clearly been enjoying herself. Bags of clothes dangled from both arms.

Brand gave her a weak grin in return. "That's... not exactly the word I would use for it," he said. With anyone else, he might have said something rude, but even the Weapon wasn't so heartless that he would go out of his way to tarnish the alien girl's eternal sunny optimism.

Starfire giggled and tugged his arm, leading him out of the crush of people in the food court and into a bookstore. It was blessedly quiet and Brand felt the knot in his chest begin to loosen. "You are like Raven," the red-head said, looking sidelong at him with a slightly smaller smile, like the sun hidden behind a cloud.

The comparison made Brand laugh. "Don't let her hear you say that," he said with a smirk.

"I am serious," Starfire said. "She does not like the crowds either. I believe it has something to do with her powers and how she can sense emotions from others." The Tamaranean tilted her head. "I do not think it is the same with you, Brand."

The Weapon shrugged and began walking through the bookstore, feeling a need for motion, uneasy with the steady regard of the Titan's green eyes. She kept pace with him, watching him. This was the first serious conversation he had had with the girl, and it felt strange.  _At least I got her to stop calling me "_ the  _Brand",_  he thought. "This kind of... activity isn't something I've ever done."

Starfire's eyes widened. "Not even as a child?" she asked. "On Tamaran we would have festivals and holidays where large numbers of people would gather, not to mention the open air markets of the capitol. The atmosphere here is similar."

Swordsman and alien wandered aimlessly around bookcases displaying volumes and volumes of books of various genres: psychology, science-fiction, history, self-help... "I don't have any memories like that," Brand admitted at last, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "All I remember is my training and my missions. The only people I spent time with were Lance and Saber."

"I am sorry, Brand," Starfire said, and she sounded sincere. "I did not realize you had such a restrictive childhood." The Weapon let out a snort of laughter. Not that anything she said was funny, but he didn't know how else to respond to her sympathy. The Tamaranean was silent for a moment before continuing. "Lance and Saber were your... family, correct?" she asked. Brand nodded, not looking at her. "And you had to battle them?" Another nod.

"Then maybe it is you and I who are similar," Starfire said, sounding more sad than Brand could ever remember hearing her before. He looked sharply at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Starfire smiled, but it was a melancholy expression. "I, too, have fought against a sibling. It is... not a pleasant experience."

Brand thought of Saber. He felt the phantom sting of the many cuts and slashes and bruises she had left on him, long since healed. He saw her blue eyes staring at him, filled with contempt and hatred. He thought of Lance, looking up in enraged disbelief as Brand twisted his sword in his brother's chest.

The memories were there, but they were disconnected from any kind of emotional response. He felt no guilt, no sadness, he wasn't even angry any more. Brand knew, hearing Starfire's tone, that he  _should_  feel something, and was dismayed to find that he didn't. He gave a non-committal grunt in answer, hiding his discomfort.

The Tamaranean looked up at the ceiling of the bookstore,  _past_  the ceiling, maybe up into the dark reaches of space where her home planet orbited some star far from Earth. "I still hope that Blackfire can be redeemed," she said at last. "I have to believe there is still some good left in her."

The Weapon pursed his lips. "I don't think there's any hope for Saber," he said, taking one hand out of his pocket and trailing it along the spines of the books as they passed.

Starfire giggled again. "I have heard the same said about you," she said, "but I do not believe that is true."

"What do you mean?" Brand asked, furrowing his brow. He felt his cheeks warm.

"You have already changed since you have come to stay with us," the red-head said, glancing at him again. "You smile sometimes and mean it, you make jokes, you help us without complaint."

For some reason, the idea of the alien girl sensing some kind of "goodness" in Brand made him uncomfortable. Her appraisal didn't ring true to him, to how he felt, and accepting her words felt like a lie. "I'm just doing what I need to do so you guys don't kick me back to the street," he said gruffly, looking away.

He felt rather than saw her smile. "Of course, Brand. Always so serious," she said, pitching her voice to a low growl, mocking him gently. He shook his head. "Oh! There is friend Raven," Starfire exclaimed happily, pointing over to the music section at the back of the bookstore.

The dark-haired sorceress stood in front of a shelf of CDs, a pair of headphones over her ears, nodding slowly to the beat of whatever music she was listening to. The Weapon tried to reconcile the image he saw before him with what he had seen of Raven first-hand. It was hard to believe this girl could beat Lance in an even fight; battle Saber to a near-standstill; risk everything to save her friends.

Hard to believe she could almost cause the end of the world.

Brand became aware that Starfire was watching him. "Should we not go over and say 'the hi'?" she asked softly.

His blue eyes turned towards Raven again, and he felt his lip turn down. He shook his head. "No, she's... she seems to be enjoying herself right now," he said. "If I went over there, all that would happen is that she'd be less happy." He waved a hand in the half-demon's general direction. "You go ahead."

The alien took a few steps forward, then turned to face him again. "You  _have_  changed, Brand," she said.

"What makes you say that?" Brand asked with a frown.

Starfire smiled faintly. "When did you start to worry about Raven's happiness?" she asked, then turned to go to her friend's side.

The question, as innocent as it was, hit Brand with the force of Cyborg's sonic cannon. He stared after the red-head for a long moment before turning and walking away as if stunned.

* * *

" _When did you start to worry about Raven's happiness?"_

The question spun around his brain endlessly, bouncing off the internal walls of his thought process, ricocheting into every formerly safe nook and cranny of his own mind, making itself known over and over until Brand was forced to confront it. It was after midnight, and he was unable to sleep. He felt trapped in his room. Laying in bed staring at the ceiling wasn't helping, and there wasn't enough room to pace.

He distracted himself for a few minutes by acting on a plan that he had come up with in the last week, using some cleaning supplies and aerosol from the bathroom to set off the carbon monoxide sensor in his room. A light next to the door blinked several times and the thick portal rolled open. A tight smile appeared on the Weapon's face.

The tower was black and silent... eerie. It felt much bigger and more cavernous than it did in the daytime. Brand shivered, reminded of when he and Raven had assaulted the Weapon facility. There, too, the complex had been dark and empty, but full of hidden menace. The threat on this night, however, was not external, not caused by Saber and Weapon, but internal, the fault of Brand's own over-active mind.

He made his way up the Tower, needing some fresh air. Climbing the stairs at the very top of the T-shaped building, he exited out onto the roof of the tower. The stars glittered above him in the cold night air, a thin rind of moon adding a small bit of additional light to the evening. The Weapon breathed deeply, hoping to clear his mind.  _This is stupid_ , he thought.  _It was just a simple question. Why is it bothering me so much?_

_You know why_ , a treacherous part of his conscious answered. The answer was there, still in the dark, just waiting for acknowledgment. He took another breath, prepared to shine a light on the fact that he didn't want to admit.

"You shouldn't be out," a voice came from the western ledge of the rooftop. Brand jumped despite himself, cursing mentally. So much for his enhanced senses. Then he realized who had spoken, and he glanced skyward, exasperated.  _Of course_ , he thought.

Brand took a few steps towards the dark shape that he could barely see against the night sky. "I didn't realize you were out here," he said.

Raven didn't look at him. "I find nights like this useful for meditation," she said. The sorceress floated about a foot above the ledge, legs crossed beneath her, hood down, cloak wafting behind her.

A gentle breeze blew over the two of them, a whisper of noise in the quiet of the night. Far below them, the surf crashed relentlessly against the shore, slushing and hissing in the distance. Far off, the Pacific Ocean blended perfectly with the starry night sky, fading into a dark void that could only be guessed at. "Yeah," Brand said at last. "I could see that." The sorceress didn't answer.

He hesitated, then climbed onto the ledge beside her. Not right beside her, but within arms-length. The Weapon's legs swung freely over the edge of the tower. He looked down and felt nothing. Apparently he didn't suffer from vertigo. "Maybe I should try meditation," Brand said, breaking the silence. He expected Raven to ignore him or tell him to shut up. He didn't really believe she would engage him in conversation.

To his surprise, she answered. "I don't think you're the meditating type," she said dryly, still not looking at him.

Brand smiled in the darkness. "Probably not," he admitted. "I've never been much for navel-gazing."

"Most people aren't," Raven said matter-of-factly. "Most people don't need to be. They don't have the same… burdens."

"Do you envy them?" Brand asked, glancing sidelong at the girl.

"Sometimes." A pause. "Most of the time. Especially days like today, when I could almost pretend that I was living a normal life."

"Really?" the Weapon looked up at the starry sky, thinking about his experience at the mall earlier that day. "I was under the impression you weren't really into that kind of thing."

Brand counted ten heartbeats before Raven answered. "It's... complicated," she said. "I look around at all those people living their lives – laughing, crying, getting angry – and I wonder what it would be like to be like them." The sorceress hesitated again. "But at the same time, I've tried being 'normal', and it feels..."

"Like a lie," Brand finished for her, surprised at the sudden, clear insight. Hadn't he just been thinking something similar earlier when he was talking to Starfire?"

Raven sighed, the sound blending perfectly with the crash of the waves far below. "Yes."

Neither of them said anything for several long minutes. Brand struggled for words, not wanting to let this rare chance to talk to the girl slip away, but unable to bring himself to speak. "How do you do it then?" he blurted at last. "How do you deal with that kind of detachment?" He wasn't just asking to learn more about her, although he wanted to, but he was also asking for himself, to try and find an answer that might diminish the aching emotional emptiness he felt whenever he wasn't fighting.

"I found people who don't need me to be 'normal'," Raven said. "I may never be able to go to school or college or get a job or -" she paused. "Or even live a long life, but I found somewhere I belong, and I found a purpose. A 'normal' life isn't for me, but I can make the world safer for people who  _do_  live their lives like that."

The Weapon's heart sank in his chest. It wasn't his answer. "I haven't found either of those things yet," he admitted.

"I know," Raven said. She still hadn't moved, floating in place, not even looking at him.

"I'm trying," Brand said, feeling defensive, though there had been no censure in her tone.

The dark-haired head turned just slightly in his direction. "I know that, too," she said.

"Do you? It's hard for me to tell," Brand said, unable to completely keep the bitterness from his voice. "You're still avoiding me like the plague. This is the most you've said to me since I've come back."

"We didn't exactly get off on the right foot," Raven reminded him.

"I know, I know," Brand said, waving a hand as if to push aside the objection. "It's a lot to ask, but… I don't want to be your enemy, Raven."

"It takes more than a few weeks to get on my good side, Brand. Just ask Beast Boy how long it took for me to stop hating him." There was a lightness in her tone that allowed the Weapon to imagine that she didn't mean to offend him.

He looked at the dark shape beside him. "Am I as bad as he is?" he asked.

"Worse," Raven responded, the slightest hint of teasing in her voice.

"Ooh, that hurts," Brand laughed.

They sat together in an almost-companionable silence for a long time, the stars wheeling imperceptibly above them. At last, Raven regained her feet, extending her legs and standing without using her hands. "You should get back to your room before Cyborg finds out you escaped," she said. The sorceress departed, so quiet that even Brand couldn't hear her leave.

It was several more minutes before he took her advice, returning to his room, the door locking behind him. He lowered himself to the bed and was asleep in moments, his mind much clearer than it had been a few hours before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I seem to recall most of this chapter being off the cuff, which is surprising, because I feel like it turned out really well. Only the last scene was "planned" in any meaningful way.
> 
> This is also the point where I reveal my hand: "The Edge Between" is secretly pretty damn funny.


	8. Outsider III: A Bad Day

The evening started off badly.

Brand had been living in the Tower long enough to know there was one empty room that was considered off-limits. In fact, it seemed to be purposefully avoided. He never saw anyone go in and he never saw anyone leave. That in itself was not surprising: There were lots of unoccupied rooms in the building, but this one wasn't just ignored... it was shunned.

The single time the Weapon had asked about the room, Cyborg had looked uncomfortable and told him it was just a storage closet, which was as blatant a lie as Brand could remember any of the Titans telling. If the layout of the rest of the Tower was any indication, it was living quarters. But for who?

And so, like any self-respecting sneak who was bored enough to indulge his curiosity, Brand let himself in.

It was, indeed, living quarters. In fact, the room was massive, and seemed to be even bigger than it actually was by virtue of the ceiling, painted like a night sky and sprinkled with artificial stars. The walls were decorated like the horizon of the desert, and the entire chamber gave off the feeling of sleeping outdoors. Brand could almost smell the dry air and feel the cool breeze of the wasteland at night.

His lip twitched, remembering waking up in just such a place after Raven had healed him from Weapon's nano-poison.

Brand stepped gingerly across the dark red carpet, unable to escape the feeling that the room was cursed somehow. Why else did the Titans avoid it so studiously? And what had happened to its occupant? Had they left the team? Died?

Something on the bed caught the Weapon's attention. A silver container, shaped like a heart. And not the Kardiak kind of heart. He picked it up, wondering what it was doing here. The box felt flimsy in his hand, like something that had been handmade. Brand's sharp eyes noticed something else. With one hand he picked something out from the hinge of the heart-shaped box.

Hair. Dog hair.  _Green_  dog hair.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice came from the doorway. It was Beast Boy, and he did not sound happy.

Something in his tone annoyed Brand. "Problem, Green?" he countered insolently, turning to the open door.

The changeling took a few steps into the room, his fists clenched. "You shouldn't be here," he growled. Emerald eyes fixed on the silver box still in Brand's hand. "And put that down!"

The Weapon rolled his eyes and tossed the heart-shaped container carelessly back onto the bed. "What's got you so upset?" he asked, smirking as he saw the flash of anger in the shape-shifter's eyes. "Was this your girlfriend's room or something?"

Next thing he knew, Brand was crashing into the hallway wall opposite the room he had just been in. The impact stunned him, and he fell to the floor. He looked up to see Beast Boy shift back from the gorilla he had changed into to throw him bodily out of the deserted bedroom. The green-skinned Titan marched out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Don't go in there," Beast Boy said, his voice still low. "You don't know anything about it, so just stay out."

Brand should have just let it go. He had been among the Titans long enough to know better, but even with Raven's advice to not fight emotionally whispering in his brain, the Weapon stood in a flash, closing the gap between him and the changeling with enhanced speed. He grabbed the front of the kid's black and purple uniform, bunching the fabric in his hands, and slammed Beast Boy hard into the door he had just closed, hard enough to drive the younger teen's breath from his body.

This time it was Beast Boy's turn to collapse to the floor, dropping to his hands and knees, wheezing in an attempt to get air. Brand leaned down close to him, lips peeled back in a snarl.

"If you  _ever_ do that again," he hissed. "I'll kill you _."_

Beast Boy looked up at him defiantly, showing no fear in the face of the threat. "Raven was right about you," he said at last, his voice thin. He gasped for breath. "You'll never change."

Brand rocked back, his composure lost. His jaw worked for a moment. "What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice level, but strained in a way that left no doubt that his rage could explode at any moment. "When did she say that?"

The changeling struggled back to his feet and faced Brand. The Weapon had to admit that the kid had guts. "When we voted. She said she didn't think you could be redeemed or wanted to change," the shape-shifter said. He shook his head. "I should have agreed with her back then." He stared up at the white-haired teen for another moment, challenging him in a very  _animal_  way, before turning and limping off down the hall.

Beast Boy was limping, but Brand wondered why  _he_  felt like the one who had gotten beat up.

* * *

It only got worse from there.

He had spent the last few days before this hoping the other night had been some sign things were improving between him and Raven. There hadn't been a repeat of that evening's camaraderie, however, and, in fact, things had seemed to go back to the way they were before, with all the other Titans doing their best to make sure that Brand couldn't get within arms-length of the half-demon, and Raven neither encouraging nor discouraging their behavior.

Yesterday, he would have given quite a bit to have a chance to talk to Raven one-on-one again. Today, he felt only dread as she strode up to where he was training in the gym, working his way through sword stances with the T-sword. Her eyes flashed with violet fire and her jaw was set and angry. Subconsciously, Brand switched from offensive sword drills to defensive, knowing this was going to hurt quite a bit.

The sorceress got in the first word. "Just when I thought you might be changing, you prove me wrong," she said coldly.

Brand was almost impressed. With just that one sentence, she had managed to cut him to the quick, nearly making him wince as if physically wounded. " _Be careful_ ," he remembered himself saying to Lance. " _Her tongue is sharper than your spear."_

"In what way have I proven you wrong?" he asked aloud. He didn't look straight at her, choosing instead to take solace in motion and routine, angling his sword in another defensive posture.

Raven was having none of it. "Don't play dumb with me, Brand. You attacked Beast Boy. Threatened him."

"Is that what he told you?" Brand asked with a smirk. "Did he leave out the part where he threw me into a wall?"

"No, he was perfectly honest about his over-reaction, but that doesn't change the fact that you somewhere you shouldn't have been, messing with other people's things and acting like an ass," Raven countered.

"Oh, is that what I did wrong?" Brand asked in mock surprise. "It sure would have been nice if someone had told me about the 'forbidden room'. Especially since being attacked by a gorilla is the punishment for daring to wander around." His voice was dripping with scornful sarcasm.

"Don't be a jerk," Raven said, unimpressed. "You saw his reaction, and you antagonized him anyway. You should have just walked away, let him be the bad guy, but your fragile male ego was wounded and you had to get your petty revenge."

Brand raised his weapon in a diagonal block, the smirk frozen on his face. "You've  _so_  figured me out," he said mockingly.

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "I'm not trying to," she said. "You're not complicated. You think you're a predator, but you still act like a child. Beast Boy admitted he overreacted, and you're still here making excuses."

"I don't  _need_  an excuse."

"Wrong, Brand," Raven said, her voice cold. "You don't  _have_  an excuse."

The Weapon spun his sword through a parry and riposte, gritting his teeth. "Ah, it's my favorite part of your lectures," he said. "The part where you tell me how I'm wrong about everything."

"That's not –"

Brand held up one hand to forestall the dark-cloaked teen. "Wait, wait, let me finish for you… 'stop letting your anger control you, don't act on instinct, make the choice to be a better person.' Am I close?" He glanced at her, a faint, pained smile on his face. "I remember everything you tell me, Raven."

Raven stared at him. "And yet here we are, having the same conversation again."

The swordsman shrugged. "You're the one that came in here blowing fire and smoke, wanting to pick a fight with me." He turned away and went back to his sword drills. "I don't even know why you bother."

"Neither do I," Raven said, a hint of frustration showing through her normal coolness. "Maybe I'm wasting my time trying to talk sense into you." She turned and began stalking away, cloak billowing out behind her.

She only made it a few steps before Brand called out after her, unable to stop himself. "You never did answer my question."

The Titan turned back towards him. "What question?" she asked, eyes narrowing.

The white-haired teen faced the girl squarely, throwing the T-sword aside. He waited until the clattering ceased before repeating himself, enunciating each word, his anger and humiliation shaping the syllables. "How have I proven you wrong?"

"Explain," Raven said shortly.

Brand smiled humorlessly. "Beast Boy told me what you said during the vote. You were never interested in giving me a chance."

The fire that had burned down to embers in Raven's eyes flared back to angry life. "Is this really a conversation you want to have right now?" she asked. "Do you think this is going to make things any better? Or are you trying to get back at me because your feelings are hurt?"

Brand set his jaw, determined to see this through. "I just want you to tell me to my face," he said. "Be honest with me."

"Fine," Raven said, meeting his blue gaze with her violet one. "You want to know how I voted? I said 'no'. I said 'I don't want him here.' Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The Weapon felt a sharp pain in his chest. Emotional, not physical. What was this power she had over him? He felt neither guilt nor pride about his behavior towards Beast Boy, but Raven could make him ashamed with nothing more than a few well-placed words. "I didn't  _want_  to hear any of this," he said, glancing away. "But I guess it's good to know that we're both wasting our time. I'm an irredeemable villain. Got it."

Raven sighed. " _No_   _one_  is irredeemable, Brand. But sometimes I wonder if you're really willing to change."

"And I'm wondering if I should even make the effort," Brand responded, his voice rising in frustration. He threw his hands into the air. "I mean, what is it going to take for you to think better of me? Do I have to become a 'superhero'? Join the Titans?"

"It doesn't work like that," the sorceress said.

"Typical," Brand laughed darkly. "I'm beyond hope."

Her gaze hardened. "You're not listening… it doesn't work that way for  _me_."

"Then there's no point!" Brand shouted. His hands clenched into fists. "I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart, Raven. I'm not doing this to impress the other Titans or to stick it to Weapon or because I enjoy fighting for truth and justice. The only reason I'm trying at all is… because of you. Because against all odds, I... respect you." His face was red, and he felt like an idiot. As if he were the child Raven had said he was acting like.  _Who are you kidding?_  He asked himself.

"Attacking Beast Boy isn't going to help win my respect," Raven said, shaking her head.

This time it was Brand's turn to sigh. His anger had burned down to cold ash. "Noted," he said tiredly. "Anything else?"

The dark-haired half-demon stared at him, and there was something akin to pity in her eyes. "You need a real reason to change, Brand," she said. "Just forget about whatever you think you feel for me, find the better part of yourself, and get on with your own life."

A snort of disbelieving laughter slipped from the Weapon's lips. "My ' _life_ '?" he asked. "There is no..." he ran a hand through his shaggy white hair, looking away from Raven, squeezing his eyes shut. "I have no friends, no family, no home, no purpose... I know how to do exactly  _one_  thing." His eyes opened again and met hers.

"So you tell me, Raven... What's left?"

Whatever answer she might have given was lost forever as the alarms began blaring. Robin's voice crackled over the intercom: "Titans! Trouble!"

* * *

For the second time that day, Brand found himself tossed into a wall. This one broke with the impact, showering him with wood and plaster as he crashed through it and onto the cement floor on the other side. Pained, he tried to raise himself back to his knees to continue the fight.

"That's right, boy," the gruff voice came from beyond the hole that the Weapon's body had just made in the wall. "Get down and give me fifty."

Brand snarled, looking up at his opponent. Bright floodlights silhouetted the figure for a moment before his eyes adjusted. His opponent wore black and yellow, a gold cowl covering the upper part of his face. On his chest was a stylized "H", and he carried a hexagonal shield. Brand figured it was the shield that had caused Sergeant HIVE*, formerly known as Private HIVE, to fixate on him: Sword versus shield was a battle he found entertaining. Beyond the military teen, he could see the Titans battling the other H.I.V.E. Academy members that had attacked the peace memorial that was under construction in downtown Jump City. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were attempting to bring down XL Terrestrial, a green-skinned alien who could increase the size of his body to giant proportions, while Raven and Beast Boy fought against Angel, a pale, winged valkyrie with the power of flight, among other things.

They were not his concern. Sergeant HIVE was. Brand rose to his feet, the pain already fading through a combination of his enhanced body and his rage. "I have a better idea," the Weapon said. "I get up and give you fifty with this instead." He hefted the T-sword in his right hand. The walls shook as the battle in the next room intensified. HIVE smiled humorlessly and gestured Brand forward.

The white-haired teen complied.

He charged forward, sword swinging, but HIVE had anticipated him, raising his shield to catch the blow. The T-sword slipped out of Brand's gloved hands and spun away further into the construction site. Gritting his teeth, the Weapon struck with his left fist, but HIVE leaned aside and the punch whiffed past his right ear.

"Lose something, boy?" Sergeant HIVE asked, sounding far too sure of himself. "That's okay," he countered another one of Brand's attacks, catching the Weapon in the hip with a kick. "I've always found that the best offense," he slammed his shield into his white-haired opponent's face, causing Brand to stagger back several steps. "... is a good  _defense!_ " The H.I.V.E. fighter threw his hexagonal shield, which struck the Weapon in the chest with enough force to throw him back to the ground. The shield flew back to HIVE's waiting hand like a boomerang.

Brand rolled on to his stomach and climbed to his feet again, breathing heavily, body aching.

Sergeant HIVE watched him with a frown. "You don't get it, boy," he said. "It's lights out."

"You're going to wish you hadn't done that," Brand growled, his eyes cold despite his anger. HIVE laughed.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard Raven in his memory. " _You can't fight emotionally."_  His fists clenched. A red tide seemed to wash over his vision.

"Shut  _up_!" he roared, dashing forward again. His first few punches were too telegraphed and HIVE blocked them or dodged them easily. He caught Brand with another blow on the chest, and the Weapon was pushed back a step. HIVE slammed his shield into the swordsman's head again.

This time, however, Brand had been expecting the move. He leaned into the attack, feeling the sturdy metal shield impact his temple with force that would have crushed bone if he had been a normal human. The skin split into a gruesome gash, and blood poured down one side of his face. But HIVE had over-extended himself, expecting Brand to stagger back again; his shield was out of line, thrown wide of his body.

And Brand was inside his guard.

The Weapon's left hand caught the wrist that held the shield, his right knee driving up into the criminal's midsection. Sergeant HIVE went limp from the pain of the blow, and Brand took the opportunity to slam him against the wall, right next to the hole that he had made. With his left hand still pinning HIVE's shield-arm to the wall, Brand carefully, precisely lined up his right fist and struck at the elbow.

There was a wet snap, and the hexagonal shield fell from nerveless fingers.

Sergeant HIVE cried out in pain, but Brand was hearing none of it. One foot lashed out and caught his opponent's left shin. Another snap. This time HIVE screamed. The Weapon drew his fist back again, but a green-gloved punch spun him away to the floor once again, his prey dropping to the ground like cement.

Brand looked up at the lead Titan standing over him, squeezing one eye shut as the blood streamed from the wound on his forehead, making half of his face a sanguine mask. The rage that had boiled through him only a minute ago had washed away, and he felt cold.

"What are you  _doing_?" Robin asked furiously from where he stood over Brand. The other Titans clustered behind him, various expressions of shock or anger or disappointment on their faces. Brand refused to look too closely at Raven, not wanting to see what face she wore. His blue eyes found HIVE, who cradled his shattered limbs. Brand felt nothing.

But he knew he should.

He looked back at Robin, unable to explain himself. What excuse could he offer?

" _You don't_ have  _an excuse."_  Raven's admonishment came in his memory.

Brand staggered up to his feet, pressing one hand to the gash on his temple, trying not to look at anyone. He turned wordlessly and stumbled away in a daze, not even bothering to retrieve the T-sword. If anyone called after him, he didn't hear them, and he didn't look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *As seen in the comic "Teen Titans Go (2004-2008)" #50
> 
> A/N: Again, I think it's important to allow Beast Boy a few shots at Brand. BB is the butt monkey, but that doesn't mean he's weak or deserves only to be used for comedy.
> 
> The second scene - another in my series of "Raven and Brand argue" scenes - was always the core of this chapter, the one thing I knew needed to happen. For those of you who enjoy such things, take solace in the fact that it was Raven who was most offended by Brand threatening Beast Boy. Although I'm never too sure about my execution, note the usage of "parallel action" during the argument. The two characters aren't just talking, Brand is responding to Raven's words subconsciously with his exercise. A little "visual" trick.


	9. Outsider IV: Captured

Time lost all meaning. Brand wandered through Jump City for what seemed to be hours, walking on auto-pilot, refusing to allow himself to think. If he thought, he'd have to remember the mistakes he had made, and if he remembered those mistakes, he'd have to face the consequences. In his state of numbness, he could lose himself in the action of walking, focusing all his mind on the simple motion of putting one foot in front of the other. Sometimes he walked through populated areas, and he knew that people must be reacting to the dried blood that caked his face, the slowly closing gash on his forehead, the white hair and the empty sheath on his back, but he noticed none of it. He was a phantom, a ghost, a specter, a part of the world and yet apart from it. For that brief, endless season, Brand lived a life free from doubt, free from thought.

But that life didn't really exist. It never had. It was a lie.

In the end, one thought slipped through the hazy wall of his mind and brought the whole thing crumbling down:  _I don't belong here_.

He stopped and ground the heels of his hands into his eyes, mentally exhausted. The realization had been a long time coming, but tonight had proven it: Whatever it was that the Titans had – a conscience, an emotional depth, empathy – it was missing in him. Growing up with Saber and Lance as a Weapon had not been the best social environment, but that was no excuse. Brand wasn't stupid. He could learn. Not threatening teammates or breaking villains' arms wasn't some obscure rule of being a member of society, they were fairly basic tenants to follow, and he had chosen to ignore them.

And in doing so, he had demolished the entire fragile toothpick house he had been constructing. What had started out as simple self-defense – taking sanctuary with the Titans – had become the shallow foundation for a gradual transformative experience that Brand had never expected and had not originally sought. The Teen Titans were a strange, eclectic bunch; crippled by their compassion, divided by disparate origins and personalities, limited by the desire to meet with public approval and the consent of the protected, but they were strong in ways that Weapon never had been. Stronger than Brand could possibly have become by staying with his old organization.

That discovery, combined with his fascination for the girl he had originally come here to kill, had influenced him to try to change himself. He never thought it would be quick or easy, but failure had never been an option until today. Today, failure had become an inevitability. A fact. History. His story.

_So now what?_  He asked himself.

The thought made Brand shudder. He was alone, unarmed, in an even worse situation than he had been in before the Titans had taken him in. What  _could_  he do?

"Transportation," he mumbled to himself. He needed a vehicle. That meant stealing something. Brand's lip quirked in a grimace.  _So easy to fall,_  he thought. Fighting side-by-side with superheroes one minute, grand theft auto the next.

He realized suddenly that he had no idea where he was. He had been wandering for so long without paying attention, so caught up in his own thoughts, that he couldn't even remember in which direction he had traveled. Blue eyes scanned the surrounding area. It was night and there were no people around, so that was something. Large buildings surrounded him, and the ever-present smell of the sea seemed strong here... he must be near the docks. Finding an unattended vehicle should be easy.

Brand picked a direction at random and started walking again, his breath clouding in the cold autumn air. His felt the absence of his sword with a sudden pang of something approaching panic. Giving up the weapon in the first place had never felt right, but at least he had been near it and had the possibility of getting it back. That possibility was gone now, along with all the others.

So caught up in his anguish was he that Brand didn't notice the footsteps approaching him.

"We meet again," a familiar voice said from behind Brand. He twitched in surprise and began to turn towards the source of the noise, his hand going up uselessly to where the hilt of his sword usually rested. Before he completed the turn, however, something struck him and he fell into darkness.

* * *

_Brand stirred, feeling weak. All his strength seemed to have deserted him, and it was all he could do to open his eyes. When he did finally manage that monumental feat, there was nothing to see but a cloudy gray mass surrounding him, almost as if he were floating suspended in a roiling fog. But, no, he felt a floor beneath him and a wall behind him. He was sitting against something._

_The surroundings came into focus as he shook his head, another task that seemed to take all of his strength. He was in a bare room, a long mirror half-way up the wall – probably one-way glass – and a thick door. There was no furniture._ A holding cell _, Brand thought blearily. Then another thought occurred to him._ I've been here before.

_The memories returned to him in a flash. This was the room where Raven had thrown him after his ill-advised attack on her almost two months ago now._ Am I back in Titans Tower?  _He wondered. For a moment, that seemed to make sense. The Titans must have come after him, captured him, and were going to imprison him for his past crimes. He almost laughed. It was a fitting bookend for his experience with the superheroes. He almost wished Raven was there._

_And suddenly she was standing in front of him. Violet eyes stared down from under the beak-shaped edge of her hooded cloak. She said nothing_

_Brand blinked. He hadn't seen her come in. Had she been there the entire time?_

" _So..." he said, his voice sounding strange in his own ears. "Here we are again. What's it going to be? Kicking me out officially? Sending me to prison?"_

_Raven looked down at him impassively. Her hood was up, her expression unreadable. "How about a third option?" she asked._

_Brand narrowed his eyes. He remembered the sorceress starting their conversation the exact same way that first time. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, feeling even more adrift than he had when he had first opened his eyes._

" _You don't belong here," Raven answered._

_A laugh bubbled up from Brand's chest. Bitter laughter, like heartburn. "I think that's pretty clear now," he said._

_The Titan shook her head. "You don't understand," she said, and turned away from him._

_Brand tried to reach out for her, but his hand wouldn't respond to his brain. "Wait!" he said instead, unwilling to watch her walk out the door. "Don't leave, Raven. Please."_

_She froze. "I'm not Raven," she said quietly._

" _What?" Brand asked, confused. "Then who are you?"_

_Not-Raven looked up at the bare ceiling with its harsh lights for a long moment. "I'm what's left," she replied at last._

" _I don't get it," the Weapon admitted, at a complete loss._

" _You'll have to ask Raven," the figure responded._

_Brand laughed again, this one slightly more genuine. "Are you_ sure  _you're not Raven?" he asked. "You talk like her."_

_She turned towards him again and lowered her dark hood. She looked like Raven. The same face, the same hair... only the eyes were different, looking at him with a softness that he had never seen in the real Raven's expression. "Do you know where you are?" she asked. The white-haired teen nodded up at her. "Do you know_ why  _you're here?" the figure continued. Brand didn't have a response. "This is where it started," she said, answering her own question._

" _Where_ what  _started?" Brand asked, growing more perplexed by the moment._

_He blinked and suddenly she was right in front of him, one hand reaching out to brush against his forehead. The Weapon remembered this, too. He had agreed to be linked to Raven through the blood chain, a spell that the sorceress had said would connect her life-force with his. If she died, he would die. She had pinned him to the wall with her magic and reached out just like this. But the blood chain didn't exist. It had been a lie. She had tricked him into helping her. Brand understood why. It had been such an effective and understandable deception that he couldn't even be angry about it._

_Her hand was only centimeters from his head, and Brand leaned back, struggling to move, to scramble away, unreasonably afraid of the figure's touch. "What are you doing?" he gasped._

_But she was back where she had been, standing several feet in front of him. He hadn't seen her move. At last, Brand realized that he was unconscious... dreaming. Still, he felt uneasy. He wasn't afraid of this... dream version of Raven, but he felt uncomfortable, like something was very wrong with what he was seeing._

" _I have something to tell you," the figure said slowly, ignoring Brand's question. He could only stare up at her._

_Dream-Raven appeared next to him between eye blinks, hunkered down, leaning forward on her bare knees. It was a strangely girlish affectation coming from something in Raven's form. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear, and Brand realized that he couldn't feel the breath of her words or the heat of her body._

" _Don't push her," Dream-Raven whispered. "She takes... time."_

_Something seemed to break in Brand's chest. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, Dream-Raven was standing in front of him once more, body concealed beneath her cloak._

" _Someone attacked me," the Weapon reminded the figure. He smiled brokenly at her, hiding what he felt behind false bravado. "I don't think I have much 'time' left."_

_Dream-Raven seemed to consider that for a moment. "You told Raven earlier that you knew how to do just one thing, correct?" she asked. Brand nodded, remembering that last argument. Dream-Raven smiled down at him, and he could only marvel at the unfamiliar expression on that familiar face. "Well then I guess you should do that 'one thing', and..."_

* * *

" _Fight."_

Brand convulsed, pulling himself free of his unconscious state and from the physical bonds that held him at wrists and ankles. He was being carried in between several indistinct figures. He didn't care. He had to get free. His body arched in the vice-like grips of whatever held him. Mechanical hands. Red and black. Weapon drones.

"There's no way he's awake already!" a familiar voice cried. The same voice that he had heard before being knocked out. The Weapon's thoughts were still too incoherent to match up the voice with an identity. He yanked with his right hand, using all of his available enhanced strength. This time, something gave. The robotic hand remained clamped around Brand's wrist, but the arm itself broke off at the shoulder, sparking and leaking hydraulics.

Using the severed arm as a club, Brand lashed out at the other robots, slamming the mechanical limb into heads and torsos and whatever else was within reach. One by one the other drones let go, and the Weapon fell to the ground in a heap of broken parts.

"Get outta' the way so I can shoot the bastard!" the voice shouted again. This time Brand knew who it was that had knocked him out, who had attempted to capture him alive. His original thought was that it was Saber, because of the Weapon drones, but no, this was a different armed female that he had had the misfortune to run into in the past.

He yanked the robotic hand from his wrist, rolling to his knees and throwing the severed mechanical limb like a javelin at the source of the voice. Killshot's copper-skinned face had a shocked expression underneath the ever-present pinch-front cowboy hat, but she leaned aside just enough so that the arm whizzed past her head and crashed into the wall behind her. She raised a gun and fired, but Brand pulled the stunned, one-armed body of the very drone that he had ripped the limb from in front of himself to block the shot. A good thing, too. This was no stun bolt, but a bullet, which rang as it struck the robot's skeletal metal frame.

The broken drone, like all such drones, carried a weapon. This one had a one-handed sickle. Brand grimaced, but took it anyway, knowing it was better than nothing. Brand spun away from the robotic husk that had just taken the shot for him, swinging the sickle towards his next target, another Weapon drone. The blade lodged in the thing's torso and sparks stung Brand's hand. There was no time to pull it free, so he continued his movement, shoving the robot in Killshot's direction, blocking her view for another moment as he claimed the hatchet from the robot's hand.

He threw the hatchet in Killshot's general direction, and this time she hit the deck to dodge the spinning blade. That bought him a second or two. There was only one active drone remaining, and Brand clenched his fist, feeling the armored back of his glove shift into place to protect his knuckles. One punch crushed the side of the robot's cylindrical head, but Brand caught the edge of the droid's hook-sword on his ribs.

The pain didn't slow him down. It  _couldn't_  slow him down. He fought, he moved, he struck, he dodged, he weaved, he  _danced_. He could not be stopped. He swept a leg, and the drone fell. Brand drove his fist into the robot's chest and pulled out a bundle of wires and components. The red lights in the cylindrical head went dark.

Another shot rang out, but Brand was already moving, diving off the mechanical corpse and behind a stack of pallets. He saw that he was in a warehouse, probably still near the docks where he had been taken. His mind was still bleary, but his thoughts were coherent now. He became aware that his breathing was harsher than it should have been after such a short skirmish. A wave of weakness washed over him. Pieces began sliding into place in his mind. He had been spotted wandering around and a Weapon retrieval squad had been sent to recover him along with Killshot. The cowgirl was working with Weapon.  _Why?_  He shook his head. It didn't matter. Killshot had fired her stun gun at him, but she was unaware of or didn't believe in Weapon's genetic enhancements. She clearly hadn't expected him to wake up as soon as he had.

Still, the shot had definitely affected him, and his sudden weakness was just one symptom. It was lucky that his adrenaline-fueled rampage had destroyed the drones that had accompanied the gunslinger. But now that he was coming down, he didn't know if he could take down Killshot before she could shoot him. His blue eyes roved over the dark interior of the warehouse, but it was a futile exercise. There was no cover better than the stack of wood pallets that he currently crouched behind, and any exit was so far away as to be untenable.

Killshot must have reached the same conclusion. "Well that was an impressive piece of work there, Brand," she drawled, and it didn't escape him that she used his name. "But it's the end of the road. You're not going to get out of this."

"Why are you working for Weapon?" Brand called from behind cover, ears straining for any hint of Killshot's movements.

"I  _don't_  work for Weapon," the gunslinger answered firmly. "Our goals just so happen to coincide in this case."

The white-haired teen gulped in air, still feeling dizzy after his adrenaline crash. "And your goal is me?" Brand asked, stalling for time.

"That's right," Killshot said mock-sweetly, drawing out the last syllable. "Your family wants you to come home." There was a brief pause. "Pretty clever of you, hiding with the Teen Titans in that fancy tower of theirs. Made it a lot harder to get to you. Always behind those walls or surrounded by your little friends." Brand could almost hear her smile. "Or should I say ex-friends."

The Weapon grit his teeth, eyes closed in humiliation.

The gunslinger wasn't done. "We saw the whole thing, Brand," she explained. "Your little temper tantrum, Robin yelling at you, you walking away, making yourself vulnerable... helpless. Making yourself a target."

"Helpless, huh?" Brand growled. "It's just you and me now, Killshot. That's what happens when you underestimate me."

"And like I said, very impressive." She didn't sound impressed. She sounded amused. "But did you think that those four drones were going to carry you all the way? I have a transport with reinforcements coming any second, Brand. Why do you think I've been so talkative?"

_Dammit_ , Brand thought.  _She was buying time, just like I was._

"So either stay there or come on out," the gunslinger said arrogantly. "It doesn't matter." There was the sound of a rumbling engine outside. "Speak of the devil," Killshot said with a nearly audible smirk.

The Weapon clenched his fists. At any moment, more drones would enter the warehouse. Even if he had been healthy and armed, enough of the robots could bring him down, especially with Killshot and her guns added to the equation. But he was out of options. Out of time. He heard the doors of the transport grind open and the sound of marching mechanical feet.

Then something happened. An unexpected but welcome noise. There was a familiar whirring sound, then a series of small explosions; a supersonic hum; an animal bellow.

Brand was out of cover in an instant, a fierce grin lighting his face. Killshot was glancing back at the door, puzzled by the sounds from without, her split second of inattention giving the Weapon just enough time to dash across the debris-littered floor. She looked back, brown eyes narrowing, gun-barrel shifting. She pulled the trigger, but Brand dropped, sliding across the floor and under the projectile, one foot extended to catch the gunslinger's legs. She collapsed with the impact, and he rolled on top of her, slapping the gun out of her grip with the back of his hand.

"Reach for another one and I'll make you regret it," the Weapon gasped. His run had burned almost all his remaining strength.

Killshot seemed unconcerned. "Oh, are you actually going to follow through this time? Or will some other child keep you from hurting me?" she said. Brand remembered last time. Photon had stopped him from killing the girl back then. Now, though... now he realized that he didn't feel the need to kill her. Maybe he  _had_  changed. "Just another man making promises and breaking them," the cowgirl laughed, carefree even in defeat.

Back in Bridgetown, her fake flirtation had thrown him off balance. At this time, it was just tiring. Brand glared at her, then stood, hauling the girl to her feet. He shoved her in front of him, grabbing both her wrists and holding them behind her. "You first," he growled. She gave an abbreviated shrug and walked obediently to the door.

Brand squinted in the bright light of the massive, blocky transport's headlights, blinding in the darkness of a cloudy night, but as his eyes adjusted, he couldn't help the tight smile that appeared on his face. The Teen Titans stood over smoldering piles of machine parts that had once been Weapon drones. Robin stepped forward, his expression hard.

"Who's this?" he asked, gesturing to Killshot. His voice gave no indication of whether he was relieved or angry to see Brand, and the Weapon felt his small smile fade.

"Bounty hunter, I think," Brand responded in kind, his voice studiously neutral.

Robin nodded, then turned to Cyborg. "Disarm her and get her to the police," he said. Cyborg nodded, giving only a brief glance at Brand. No hints there, either.

The white-haired teen let the gunslinger go, and Cyborg took one of her arms in an unbreakable titanium grip, pulling her away. Before she passed out of the circle of light from the transport's headlights, she turned to Brand with one last grin. "See you real soon," she promised in a sugary voice. Brand stared at her, but didn't answer.

The masked Titan took a step forward, looking up at the Weapon. "You left her alive," he said. Brand's eyes tightened, recognizing the rebuke. There was a momentary silence. "Are you okay?" Robin asked.

His head still hurt, the cut from the Weapon drone's hook-sword stung, and his entire body felt heavy, weak, and sore. "I'm fine," Brand lied. This time it was Robin's turn to nod. "You came after me," Brand said, the question left unstated.  _Why?_

"We heard reports that a group of red and black robots were moving in the city," Robin explained. "We knew right away what was going on."

"And how did you know where I was?"

Robin pursed his lips for a moment. "Tracking device in the T-sword's sheath," he said, gesturing to where the empty sheath still hung over the Weapon's shoulder. Brand almost laughed. Like the phony blood chain, it was a deception so understandable that he couldn't even be offended. "So what now, Brand?" the lead Titan asked.

Brand looked around, seeing Starfire and Beast Boy pretending not to pay attention, the former staring up into the night sky, the latter kicking at piles of robot parts. He thought back to before Killshot had attacked him. Remembered his hopelessness and despair at having to start over. "I... don't have anywhere else to go," he admitted, swallowing the painful lump of his pride.

Robin looked away. "We can't have you doing things like you did today," he said. Brand grimaced. "Titans don't threaten each other. We don't torture villains." The masked hero shook his head. "You're not a Titan," he said, then turned to face Brand again. "But I still think that maybe someday you could be."

"You mean...?" Brand asked, not daring to hope.

"If you think you can do this," Robin said. "And I mean it. Today was the last time. There aren't any more chances beyond this one. You either play by our rules or you leave."

Brand considered. He honestly didn't know that he could control his anger. His behavior was just a symptom of a greater problem in his own mind, Brand admitted that it could even be a kind of insanity. Would he be able to keep that part of himself buried? Because next time he lashed out in anger at someone he shouldn't, that would be it. He'd be cast off at best, sent to prison at worst.

As he was thinking, Raven floated down from above, her cloak settling around her like the folded wings of her namesake animal. "No sign of any other Weapon reinforcements," she reported. Robin nodded at her then turned back to the Weapon.

"Well, Brand?" he asked.

Brand caught Raven's eye. She looked back at him, and he thought he detected a hint of challenge in those amethyst eyes. He remembered his dream. " _Don't push her. She takes... time._ "

"I'm in," he said, his eyes fixed on Raven. She looked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter re-introduces what one could consider "Arc Words" for this story. Can you spot them?
> 
> The middle scene in this chapter - if I recall correctly (remember I've been writing this story over a very long time period without posting it) - was off-the-cuff; not originally intended, but it became my favorite of the three scenes. It plays into something that will be explained... eventually.
> 
> It's a difficult thing, creating a character with such a different worldview as the canon characters and trying to get them to mesh together. The key (for me) is best described by a metaphor: applying pressure. Even fictional characters do not change without some kind of impetus. Brand - being who he is - required quite a bit of "pressure" to get to a point where he could function with the Titans. I've always been very aware of the difficulties inherent in doing a story like this, but the time I spent is the time I feel I needed to spend to have it make sense (in my sole estimation) for Brand to be even remotely accepted in their group.
> 
> This chapter ends the second arc of "The Edge Between", Outsider.
> 
> Next time, the Titans and Brand respond to a call for help from Starfire's home world in the third arc... Citadel.


	10. Citadel I: Separation

" _What you did was very..."_

" _Stupid?"_

" _Brave. And stupid."_

* * *

Robin paced back and forth in front of the closed door that led to the comms room of the tower, chewing a fingernail, staring into the distance as he walked. His mind ran through possibilities and probabilities and contingencies like a computer, always calculating, always evaluating. The messages had been coming ever more frequently, gaining in urgency and gravity as the situation deteriorated, faster and faster as the days had gone on. It was still possible that a peaceful solution could be found, but the masked Titan didn't believe it. Action would have to be taken.

That was why he had assigned Cyborg to prep the T-ship. Why he had sent Brand to the simulator to get certified on flying the ship's components. Why he had been training everyone harder than ever in the last ten days. Robin knew, with all the certainty of his Batman-trained mind, that his team would need to put their skills to the test in a realm they had very little experience in.

Interplanetary war.

The door to the comms room slid open and Starfire walked out.  _Walked_  out. That wasn't a good sign. Neither was her downward glance, looking sad and thoughtful. All thoughts of tactics and strategy were gone in an instant. For a brief moment, Robin wasn't thinking of stopping crimes or fighting battles, he was just a teenager seeing his girlfriend in emotional distress.

"Starfire?" he asked, reaching for her hand to hold it in his. "Is it... bad news?"

The Tamaranean nodded, green eyes sorrowful. "The Citadel has declared war," she said. "Already skirmishes are breaking out across the Vega system. The Gordanians have stated their intentions to join with the Citadel, and Tamaran is in danger of being besieged."

Robin's lips turned down. "Does your planet have any allies? Anyone they could turn to to help them?"

"Perhaps," Starfire said. "But none have yet come forward to stand at our side."

The phrasing didn't escape Robin.  _Our_  side. "Your people are warriors, Starfire," he said firmly. "The Citadel would regret attacking them."

The alien girl smiled sadly. "I only wish that were true, but they have requested the assistance of their princess to negotiate a peace."

"They  _have_  a Grand Ruler, Kori," the boy wonder reminded her bitterly. It was a childish response, but he couldn't help but be reminded of the last time the red-head had been summoned back home. He had almost lost her then. Had almost lost her forever.

Starfire shook her head. "Galfore is Grand Ruler, but he is not of the royal family. The Citadel will treat with no one less."

Robin squeezed the taller girl's hand, part affectionate, part frustrated. "Last time your planet negotiated a peace with the Gordanians, you ended up a slave," he reminded her, looking down. "What else can they ask of you?"

"It is not what they ask, Dick," she said quietly, and he felt one warm hand against his face. "It is what I offer. They are my people. I cannot leave them to face this threat alone."

The masked Titan nodded against her hand. "I know," he said. He had known for days, but he still had to make an attempt to keep Starfire safe. "And we can't leave you to face it alone, either." He looked back up at her. "The Titans have your back, Star."

A genuine smile came to the girl's face. "Thank you," she said. Then she leaned down to kiss him gently. Robin kissed her back, determined not to let Starfire sacrifice all for a planet that had already rejected her once.

* * *

"So... we're going into space," Brand said. He couldn't keep the skepticism from his voice. The Weapon stared up at the massive booster rockets that Cyborg had constructed next to a temporary scaffold. Both big, cylindrical devices gleamed in the light of the setting sun, looking benign and peaceful, belying their destructive force; enough to propel a vessel into orbit. The T-ship would maneuver into place, locking with the rockets, which would then blast them out of the atmosphere and into...

Space.

_Absurd_.

The cybernetic Titan walked up next to him, dusting his hands off. "That's right," he said.

Brand glanced at the bigger teen. "And this is something you do... often?" he asked.

"Define 'often'," Cyborg said with a shrug of his metal shoulders. "Maybe half a dozen times?"

"And you haven't had any problems?" Brand pressed, pursing his lips.

He saw Cyborg's grin and knew he had asked one question too many. "Oh my lord, if I didn't know any better," he said. "I'd say that the trained assassin is scared."

The Weapon narrowed his eyes. "'Scared' is an over-statement," he said. "Try 'cautious'."

"Right, right," Cyborg chuckled. "I forgot, you're a cold man." He slapped Brand's shoulder reassuringly with enough force to almost knock him flat. "Well if it makes you feel any better, the T-ship is state-of-the-art, as good as anything the Justice League has."

"Like the T-car," Brand said. "That reminds me, how many times has that been completely totaled?"

The big Titan's smile faded. "Beast Boy told you that, didn't he?"

The white-haired teen spun to face Cyborg, raising an accusatory finger. "Even if he lied and told me  _double_  the actual amount, the answer would still be 'way too many'."

Cyborg raised his hands. "The T-ship has only gotten wrecked once... maybe twice," he protested.

"Encouraging," Brand said sarcastically. He shook his head. "T-ship, T-car, T-sword... you really gotta' add a creative subroutine in that metal skull of yours."

"Hey, don't knock it," the cybernetic Titan warned. "Besides, you have a 'T' name, too."

The Weapon grimaced, sensing a trap. "Oh?" he asked suspiciously.

"T-pain," Cyborg clarified with a grin.

"Nice one, dude!" Beast Boy cried as he came up, followed by the other Titans. He raised one hand and Cyborg high-fived him firmly.

Robin joined Brand in staring up at the launchpad. "How are we doing, Cyborg?" he asked his second-in-command.

"I still have to add another seat in one of the modules for T-pain," the big Titan explained, jerking a thumb back towards Brand, who rolled his eyes heavenward. "Other than that, we're good to go."

Starfire stepped up, hands clasped together. "Must we wait?" she asked, glancing between Cyborg and Robin. "The most recent messages from Tamaran have been somewhat... panicked."

"Not unless one of use wants to ride on the outside of the ship," Cyborg said with a shrug. "I suggest you bring a sweater, though, because it'll get down to absolute zero."

This time it was Raven who stepped forward. "Uh, Cyborg," she said, pointing at the red-headed Tamaranean as a reminder. "Starfire travels through space unprotected all the time."

The big Titan smacked his forehead with the palm of one hand. "I knew that," he said quickly. "I was just testing y'all." He turned towards Robin again. "We're good to go."

Robin quirked a smile.

* * *

In other circumstances, space travel would have been the perfect time to meditate. The quiet, the solitude of the module, the star-pricked darkness, even the cold... all perfect ambiance to center one's mind and focus one's thoughts. But with Cyborg and Beast Boy in the ship and comms open, it was just another road trip in a cramped vehicle. Raven had been forced to listen to her teammates' endless banter for hours now, and it didn't seem like it was going to let up anytime soon.

She supposed it wasn't as bad as it could have been, however. With Starfire flying outside - a green streak above and in front of the T-ship - and unable to communicate, Robin quiet but obviously worrying about her, and Brand silent and pretending not to be nervous about his first spaceflight, the remaining two Titans had been left to carry on the conversation pretty much by themselves.

At long last, though, the chatter reached a lull and Raven breathed a sigh of relief. Then the radio clicked again and Robin's distorted voice came through. "Five minutes until we reach Tamaranean space," he said. The sorceress rolled her eyes.  _Of course,_  she thought. There would be no rest for the wicked.

"Hey, uh... Robin?" Beast Boy asked, sounding nervous even through the radio distortion. "Why are we going to Tamaran again?"

Raven turned in her seat to glare at the changeling, who sat in the middle module of the ship. "Have you seriously not been paying any attention?" she asked.

She saw Brand turn in his seat on the opposite wing of the ship from her, that annoying smirk on his face. "Do you really need to ask?" he said. His eyes met hers across the gap, and she looked away, not wanting to encourage him.

"Give me a break, guys," Beast Boy said, "I don't even keep up with politics back on Earth. You think I know what's going on in space?"

"Dude's got a point," Cyborg said from the rear module.

Robin sighed over the intercom. "Okay, here's the deal," he began. "Tamaran is one of over twenty planets in the Vega system. All of these planets have different species on them. Some of them are peaceful. Some aren't. The worst of the bunch are the Citadel. The Citadelians have dreams of ruling a Vega-wide empire, but they're basically dumb brutes. Apparently, someone more intelligent has emerged to lead the Citadel, and they've started expanding across the system, picking fights with all the other races and building a coalition."

"'Someone'?" Cyborg asked. "This sounds like Blackfire's work to me. She's done it before with... Glerd-whatever."

"There's no indication of whether that's the case or not," Robin said, but he sounded hesitant. "Still... whoever is leading the Citadel has set their eyes on Tamaran, and they've joined up with the Gordanians."

Beast Boy piped up. "Gordanians?!" he exclaimed. "Aren't those the guys that Starfire escaped from back when we all met?"

"That's them," Raven confirmed heavily. "At any rate," she continued, picking up the story where Robin had left off. "Starfire was asked by Grand Ruler Galfore to help negotiate a peace since she's the only member of the royal family whose whereabouts are known."

Brand snorted, the sound a burst of static over the intercom.

Raven looked across at the Weapon, whose brow was furrowed. "You have something to add?" she asked.

"If Starfire is just being asked to negotiate with the Citadel, why are we here?" the swordsman said. There was silence for a long moment over the intercom. "Tell us the truth, Robin. We're flying into a war zone."

Several seconds passed. Finally Robin answered. "I'm hoping that won't be the case, but I want you all to be prepared for anything."

"Aye aye, Captain," Beast Boy said confidently. "You can count on me. My eyes are peeled, my ears are perked, and I am ready for whatever happens."

With startling speed, the T-ship decelerated as it reached the region of space around Tamaran's orbit. The planet looked like someone had dripped cherry sauce over a ball of ivory partially obscured by one of the planet's four moons. Starfire had told Raven once – before the previous war with the Gordanians that had ended in her enslavement – her home world had been a lush jungle planet. Now it was blasted and barren, though it still supported life. Even the closest of the moons was habitable, like many other planetoids in the Vega system.

The apparent tranquility of the scene was shattered as lances of light began streaking towards the T-ship. The board in front of Raven lit up as sensors detected the ships that lay between them and their destination. Dozens of ships.  _Hundreds_  of ships.

"Oh man!" Beast Boy cried. "I wasn't ready for  _this_!"

Raven grimaced. "We're too late," she said. "The war's already started."

Everyone in the ship seemed to jump, startled, as Starfire appeared suddenly right in front of Robin's module. She looked worried but intense, and gestured with one arm, motioning them to follow. Without waiting, she streaked off towards her home world.

"Okay, Titans," Robin said, sounding as determined as Starfire had looked. "We're going to run the blockade. Separate, but stay close. Leave enough room to maneuver, though. Don't fly straight, make yourself hard to hit. Got it?" There was a chorus of acknowledgments, some enthusiastic, some less so. "Titans, separate!"

There was a grinding from below Raven as the modules disengaged, and the five parts of the T-ship flew free of each other. The sorceress's component, what had formerly been the "wing" of the vessel, rotated underneath her, smaller wings folding out from the main fin beneath her. Brand's, on the opposite end, did the same. The others sprouted thrusters and wings, becoming self-contained vessels of their own.

In loose formation, the five ships followed their alien comrade, blasting towards the blockade at full speed. More enemy vessels began moving towards them, noticing the intruders for the first time, and more and more plasma blasts, laser beams, and solid projectiles homed in on the Titans.

"Holy -!" Brand exclaimed as the sky seemed to light up all around them.

The T-ship components wove an evasive course through the sea of stars, dodging missiles and energy waves, breaking through the siege that surrounded Tamaran. Raven grit her teeth as something pinged off her hull, watching a diminished blast rock Robin's ship. No one had been seriously hit yet, but there were so many.  _So many_!

They were past the terminus between night and day of the nearest moon when it happened. Something struck Raven's ship with explosive force, and her ship leapt, the controls bucking in her hands. "I'm hit," she said, her voice emotionless as ever, despite the surge of adrenaline she felt. Red lights blinked on all over her cockpit, and she heard her engine struggling. The struggle was brief. The thrusters coughed once more and died.

Her ship keeled forward towards the surface of the alien moon, caught in its gravity. "I'm going down," Raven reported.

* * *

"I'm going down," Raven said, sounding no more concerned than if she had said "We're out of waffles."

Brand turned in his seat, first one way, then the other, scanning the busy skies for the Titan's ship.  _No, don't let this be happening_ , he thought desperately, feeling as if he were the one who had been hit. He spotted her finally, her "t"-shaped vessel an orange blur trailing smoke and fire as it spun in towards the surface of the Tamaranean moon.

"Are you all right?" Robin asked over the radio. He sounded worried, too. His ship was far ahead, the closest behind the viridian streak of Starfire, who, unable to tap into their communications, had no idea anything was wrong. Robin's vessel slowed fractionally.

Raven's reply was garbled by static. "I'll be fine," she said. "You keep going. Follow Starfire."

"You can't be serious," Brand heard himself say.

There was a pause. "Titans," Robin said, his voice strained. "Form up."

"We can't leave her behind!" Beast Boy cried.

Brand distantly heard the changeling's protest, but he had checked out of the conversation, his eyes fixed on the shrinking form of Raven's damaged ship. His hands tightened on the controls. " _I didn't need you to save me, Brand!"_  He heard her say in his memory. And she didn't. She never did.

"Brand, Beast Boy, you heard me," Robin said, more firmly. "Follow us through."

The radio crackled again, even more distorted than before. "Listen to Robin. Do  _not_ come after me," Raven commanded.

_Dammit, dammit, dammit!_  Brand thought.  _What am I supposed to do?_  He knew what Raven would want him to do, what he had promised he would do. Follow orders. But could he do that? Could he make himself leave the girl behind? Even though only a scant two months had passed since he had attempted to kill the sorceress, the thought of her dying now took his breath away.

"I'm  _ordering_  you to follow me," Robin shouted through the comms.

Brand's hands moved of their own accord on the controls, his module veering off to follow Raven's stricken ship. "Screw that!" he shouted. He noticed Beast Boy's ship had also peeled away, both of them going after the sorceress's damaged vessel. A half-dozen enemy fighters spiraled in after them, going after the seemingly helpless Raven. There was a blast of static from the radio, probably Raven telling them one last time not to be stupid, but he ignored it.

The Weapon grit his teeth. Cyborg had trained him how to fly this ship in the simulators, but he was far from an expert. The only advantage he had was that the big Titan had automated many of the processes of flying. That didn't make him a good pilot, though.  _It doesn't matter,_  he thought.  _I'm_ not  _going to just fly away and leave her alone_. He flipped the switch to activate his weapons and pointed his ship towards one of the enemies speeding towards the damaged module.

Twin sets of shots lanced out at the same time, Beast Boy having picked the same target, which vanished in a satisfying explosion. Fire licked the edges of Brand's cockpit as the three Titans slipped into the atmosphere, and he felt the controls go stiff in his hands, the automated systems kicking in to keep him from frying himself on re-entry.

Still, Brand struggled with the yoke, finding another opportunistic enemy going after Raven and blowing it from the sky. His ship rocked from the increasing air pressure and heat, then rocked more heavily as something else struck him. He was under attack. Swearing mentally, the Weapon dodged as best as he could with the unforgiving controls.

Beast Boy's vessel spun past him, leaking flames and sparks, black scars marking the hull where he too had been hit by enemy fire. Brand couldn't worry about that now, he still had Raven's ship in his sights, watching with held breath as it tumbled through the sky, far below him now. Her damaged ship hadn't been able to correct its course, and it had streaked in like a meteorite, bits and pieces falling off and burning away.

He was still watching, unable to look away, when it hit the ground and exploded. Brand's heart went cold. He didn't feel the shots that continued to hammer at his ship, didn't pay attention to the red lights blinking on all over his displays, barely noticed the starring in his cockpit window and the high-pitched hiss of escaping air.

He felt nothing as he saw the ground rushing up towards him, spinning slowly as his damaged ship listed to the right. All he could see was Raven's ship crashing far below. Brand's lip twitched, and his hands went limp on the controls.

* * *

"NO!" Robin shouted, watching on his scopes as the blips representing Beast Boy and Brand moved closer to the alien moon. Only Cyborg had stayed with him, following Starfire as she arrowed towards Tamaran, a shrinking dot of green. He couldn't let her go on alone, but he couldn't leave the others behind.

_You have a mission_ , he thought. The words weren't in his voice. They were in a lower, gravelly tone, a voice that Robin trusted. A voice that had taught him much. The boy wonder's eyes squeezed shut under his mask.

"What are we gonna' do, Robin?" Cyborg asked, sounding angry, though whether he was angry at Robin, the others, or the universe itself was hard to tell.

Robin hesitated for an endless moment. "We keep going," he said at last, his voice sounding hoarse and far away in his own ears. Each syllable cut him like a knife, but he didn't waver. He roared through the blockade at high speed, one eye ahead of him, one eye on his sensors.

He was the leader. It was his choice and his responsibility. So he forced himself to watch as, one by one, the blips representing the Titans he had left behind blinked out. Raven. Beast Boy. Brand.

Gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So yeah, here we are... the Starfire arc. Like so many others, I wanted to throw the girl a bone since she's the only character who didn't have her own season with the original show. Thing is, while I knew I wanted to do this, I had no idea what form it would take for the longest time. I had this on my outline as "Tamaran Arc", with no details, working on everything else. It came together at the last minute and ended up being one of my favorite arcs of The Edge Between.
> 
> This is the singe time (so far) I've used anything remotely resembling a real-world reference in this story, with the obscure "T-pain". I had to use the joke.
> 
> Again, for those that enjoy such things, note that Beast Boy also went after Raven.


	11. Citadel: Recovery

Robin was numb as he landed his section of the T-ship, one of only two that remained, Cyborg's vessel setting down behind him, dropping slowly through the deep purple skies of Tamaran toward the pale spires that marked the palace of the Tamaranean capitol. His face was set, impassive, displaying not even the slightest hint of the turmoil that raged behind that mask of an expression. He knew Starfire was watching them descend, could only imagine the look in her eyes as she realized three modules and their pilots were missing. She would know they had lost their friends, but she wouldn't know why. He would have to tell her.

He would have to tell her it was his fault.

But the lead Titan couldn't face that challenge yet, so he kept his eyes averted. He didn't want to see the sorrow and concern on his girlfriend's face. The module nudged the surface of the circular landing platform and the ship ran through its automated post-flight checklist. Cyborg's cockpit popped open and the bionic Titan climbed out stiffly, shoulders slumped, eyes downcast. Robin remained in his ship for a long minute, unable to bring himself to move.

_You have a mission_ , he heard the voice in his head again. Stern. Uncompromising. Completely without doubts.

Robin punched the cockpit release with far more force than necessary, gritting his teeth and climbing out of the ship, feeling as if he had aged twenty years in the last twenty minutes. He saw Starfire standing among a group of Tamaranean courtiers and advisers that had gathered to greet their returning princess, framed by the great rock on which the palace had been built. She wasn't paying attention to them, her eyes fixed on Robin himself, her hands up to her mouth, dread in her eyes.

"Robin!" the red-head cried, rushing up to him, her feet planted firmly on the ground, clearly too upset to feel the necessary joy for her power of flight. "What happened? Are you all right?"

All the words he had tried to find to explain the situation fled from him instantly. "I left them behind," Robin said in a rush, his voice breaking. "I could have gone back to save them, but I _chose_ to leave them behind." His fists clenched at his sides in helpless frustration as his emotions bubbled to the surface, un-shed tears hot in the eyes hidden behind the opaque mask.

The Tamaranean's arms enfolded him, cradling him, and Robin almost pushed her away. He didn't deserve pity right now. The others did. But he lowered his head against her shoulder, hugging her back tightly, needing to feel her against him, needing to know she was still there, that she still cared for him.

Even with his eyes squeezed shut, Robin could practically feel Cyborg approach. "Raven... got shot down," his second-in-command explained haltingly, sounding stunned. "She was dropping towards that moon, and... she said she'd be all right, that we should keep going, but BB and Brand, they..." he paused and swallowed. "They went after her. But, it didn't... they didn't..." he broke off, unable to continue.

"We shouldn't have separated!" Robin said against Starfire's shoulder. "Why did I order everyone to separate?"

"Man, it made sense at the time," Cyborg protested. "We would have been one big target instead of five smaller ones."

The lead Titan shook his head, refusing to listen. "But we would've been together," he said.

Starfire's arms had gone stiff around him, and he felt her body shake. She sobbed, burying her own head against Robin's. "This is my fault," she whispered brokenly. "I should have come alone. I have brought you all into danger, and now..."

"No, Kori," Robin interrupted, raising his head to look straight at the alien girl, shifting his grip to hold her tighter. "Don't blame yourself. You didn't do anything wrong."

She didn't look convinced, her green eyes glimmering with tears, but Robin meant his words. There was only one person responsible for what had happened to their teammates, and it was him. He was in charge. Things had gone wrong, and he had made a decision. A decision based on cold logic and the weighing of a greater number of lives against a lesser number. That was how he had been trained, how he had learned to think.

" _It's the poor student who blames his teacher,"_ he heard himself say in his memory. But he _did_ blame his teacher. If that made him a poor student, he couldn't especially care right now.

"Jalascis is habitable," Starfire said hesitantly. "Perhaps the others survived. We have lived through such crashes before." Her voice gained in confidence as she spoke, her natural optimism buoying her spirits.

Even if it was hopeless optimism, Robin wanted to believe in it. "Cyborg? Is it possible?" he asked, looking towards his friend.

The half-machine Titan flipped open a panel on his right arm and punched a few digital keys. A small satellite dish telescoped out of the mechanical half of his head and scanned back and forth. "I'm not getting any signal from the modules," Cyborg reported. "But there's a lot of interference out there from all the enemy ships. Besides," his words grew quicker, more hopeful, "even if the modules crashed, the others could have punched out before impact."

"We have to find out for sure," Robin said. "We have to know. Can you raise anyone on their communicators?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Not from this distance, and not through the jamming."

The lead Titan nodded at the big teen. "That's your priority here. Find a way to break through the jamming and see if we can contact anyone on..." he glanced at Starfire to check his pronunciation, "Jalascis." Starfire nodded back.

"You got it," Cyborg said confidently. "Man, I should've known better than to get all mopey, and so should you. They're probably fine. I bet the three of them are sitting around driving each other nuts and waiting to be rescued."

Robin managed a faint smile. "Yeah," he said. _I hope so,_ he thought.

* * *

Brand wandered alone through the wasteland of the Tamaranean moon, a solitary figure moving across the gray rock and dirt under an endless orange sky. He limped, favoring one slowly healing ankle, which he had twisted when his ejection seat had slammed into the ground at "safe" speeds. The other cuts and bruises were already fading thanks to his genetic alterations, but the emotional turmoil he was in would not heal so easily. He set his jaw, unable to shake the memory, seeing it behind his eyelids every time he blinked.

_Beast Boy's vessel spun past him, leaking flames and sparks, black scars marking the hull where he, too, had been hit by enemy fire. Brand couldn't worry about that now, he still had Raven's ship in his sights, watching with held breath as it tumbled through the sky, far below him now. Her damaged ship hadn't been able to correct its course, and it had streaked in like a meteorite, bits and pieces falling off and burning away._

_He was still watching, unable to look away, when it hit the ground and exploded. Brand's heart went cold. He didn't feel the shots that continued to hammer at his ship, didn't pay attention to the red lights blinking on all over his cockpit, barely noticed the starring in his cockpit window and the high-pitched hiss of escaping air._

_He felt nothing as he saw the ground rushing up towards him, spinning slowly as his damaged ship listed to the right. All he could see was Raven's ship crashing far below. Brand's lip twitched, and his hands went limp on the controls._

_It was then that his old companion had returned. His rage. It burned through his veins like fire, and his gloved hands took hold of the yoke once more, yanking back on it with all his anger. The ship pursuing him had not expected the deceleration and roared past him. Brand's fingers squeezed the trigger to fire his weapons. Only one of the two guns responded, but the energy blast still sent the enemy ship twirling away in an uncontrolled spin._

" _That's right!" Brand hissed in dark satisfaction. "I'm going to make you butchers pay for what you did!"_

_He swung his ship around, fighting against the atmosphere and his own heavily damaged vessel, wrestling with the controls until he found another opponent. The Weapon urged his own ship to go faster, needing to close within firing range, needing to get revenge for Raven. Something yanked his module to starboard, and a stream of energy bolts sizzled through the space he had just been in. He had been so fixated on his target that he hadn't noticed the other ship coming up behind him._

_But_ someone _had noticed. Someone had saved him._

_The anger drained away. Could it be? Brand narrowed his eyes, his priorities changing instantly. He stopped maneuvering, waiting for the ship tailing him to correct its aim. This time, when his module jumped to one side as if caught in a high cross-wind, Brand fought against it, veering the opposite direction, right back into the enemy's fire. The bolts stitched the side of the T-ship component, and warning alarms blared in Brand's cockpit. He sent the ship into a tumble, exaggerating the already-extensive damage. His vision began to go gray with the G-force and he felt his gorge rising. With a supreme effort, Brand managed to stay conscious and not be sick, eyes fixed on his sensors to make sure..._

_Yes, the other ship was pulling away, considering its mission complete. The Weapon smiled grimly, but didn't correct his spin, didn't dare. He waited until his cockpit was more-or-less upright, then punched the eject button. The cockpit window detached and flew away in the strong wind, which roared in Brand's ears, drowning out all other sounds. There was a tremendous jolt to his seat, which rocketed up and away from the tumbling wreck of his ship. He watched as the vessel sped into the side of a mountain and exploded, nodding as best he could in the rushing wind, a faint smile on his face._

It had taken only minutes for his ejection seat to descend, though it had not been a soft landing, as Brand's injuries would attest. That didn't matter, though. Finding Raven's ship was what the white-haired teen was focused on. When he had regained his equilibrium, he had spotted a column of smoke in the distance and made for it, knowing what he might find, but needing to take the risk anyway. The land was barren, empty of all but spindly scrub and the local equivalent of small, solitary trees or cacti, and it was chilly, though he hardly noticed the temperature.

_Not like I have any other choice but to deal with it,_ he thought bitterly.

He had been walking for over an hour now and the smoke column was just over the next rise. Brand's breath quickened and he felt sick. _If I'm wrong..._ He didn't allow himself to finish the thought. He moved faster, working through the pain from his ankle, running as best he could.

Yes! It was one of the T-ships modules, nearly unrecognizable in the mangled shape it was in, but the color was correct, and the fuselage was more or less intact, though it was pointed nearly straight down as if the ship had tried to drill into the dirt. Brand rushed forward, then his heart sank. The cockpit was closed. Whoever was within hadn't ejected. _If I'm wrong..._ he thought again. But his feet were already moving closer to the remains of the ship. The figure within was indistinct, unmoving. His fingers probed for the cockpit release, but it was jammed shut. In something approaching panic, Brand drew back one fist, armored plates shifting over his knuckles to protect them, slamming his hand into the cracked cockpit again and again and _again._

Finally it shattered, shards raining down onto the ground, revealing the figure within.

Beast Boy lay limply in the cockpit, restraints still keeping him pinned to the seat. Quick-expanding crash foam – the spaceship equivalent of airbags – filled the module. Blood ran from the shape-shifter's head and in rivulets down his body, the red a stark contrast to his green skin and hair. He looked at least half-dead.

It wasn't Raven. The realization filled Brand with both relief and trepidation.

For a horrible moment, he hesitated. Raven could still be out there somewhere, might be injured and need help. Brand couldn't take the time to try to rescue Beast Boy, if it was even possible to save him. He had to move on. Besides, part of the Weapon still hadn't forgiven the changeling for attacking him in the abandoned room at Titans Tower.

Something about the situation seemed sickeningly familiar. And then he remembered himself poisoned, dying, unworthy of help... and Raven had healed him. She had used a good deal of her remaining power and several hours of time, risking her friends and herself to save someone who didn't deserve saving. _Compassion and mercy_ , Brand thought, his lip twisting in a grimace. But he knew that he could never face the sorceress again if he left one of her friends to die.

Hoping that moving the younger teen wasn't going to do more damage, Brand cut down the shape-shifter from his restraints and carried him away from the wreck. Beast Boy groaned, clearly in pain even though he was unconscious. Brand furrowed his brow as he lay the changeling onto the uneven ground, arranging him as best he could. The Weapon was hardly a medical expert. First-aid was about the best he could manage, and that only because of the survival pack he had found under his ejection seat.

It would have to be enough. He went about binding the changeling's obvious wounds, hoping to stop the bleeding that he had noticed, especially the head wound. Afterwards, he dribbled a little water into the younger boy's mouth from his canteen. It was a stopgap measure at best. Beast Boy would need more serious medical attention than Brand could provide.

He shook his head as he worked, almost laughing at the escalating absurdity of his life. A few months ago he would've been the one trying to take this Titan down, and now here he was treating his wounds.

After the changeling was all bound up, Brand walked back to the smoldering wreck, hoping to find something that could help. He tried to activate comms on the control panel, but there wasn't so much as a beep or a spark from the broken electronics. The survival pack was still attached under the seat, so the Weapon contented himself with dislodging that and bringing it back to where the shape-shifter lay twitching, his breath coming heavy and pained. The white-haired teen stood over Beast Boy, staring down at him, trying to think of something else he could do to help.

It occurred to Brand that he might have to watch the kid die right in front of him.

He was surprised to find that he felt ill at the thought. Weapons were assassins, certainly no strangers to death, and he and Beast Boy hadn't exactly been friends, but he realized that he didn't wish the young hero any harm. Had these Titans finally begun to rub off on him? It was a small victory in a day full of horror. If only Raven were here, she could...

A shadow passed over him. Dark, bird-shaped, unnatural. Brand looked up sharply to find Raven descending towards him and Beast Boy. He could only stare at her, noticing her stricken face, paler than usual, as she knelt hurriedly by the changeling's side, hands already reaching out, applying her magic, healing the younger teen with something much more effective than a first-aid kit. All Brand could see was her ship crashing into the ground, that awful moment when he had thought she was dead.

"You're alive," he said, unable to think of anything else.

She didn't even spare him a glance, so intent was she on her work. Brand didn't care. The sense of relief he felt was palpable. His legs gave out, and he sat heavily on the ground. He watched her press her faintly glowing hands against each of Beast Boy's wounds. The sky grew slowly dark above them.

* * *

"Is he going to be all right?" Brand asked several hours later. It was night now, the light of unfamiliar constellations and the red-veined, ivory ball of Tamaran itself casting faint shadows even in the dimness. They were the first words either of the two had said since Raven had begun healing the injured shape-shifter.

Raven nodded wearily from where she sat knelt next to Beast Boy. It had taken a lot of her energy to stabilize her young friend. The external injuries were the easiest part, but there had been a fair number of internal wounds as well. If she had been even a little slower... she pushed the thought away, unwilling to face that possibility. "He still needs to rest," she explained. "He shouldn't be on his feet for another day at least."

There was silence for a long moment. "And what about you?" the Weapon asked.

"I'm probably in the best shape of all of us," the half-demon said dryly. It was a lie. Brand was already mostly recovered from his injuries, whereas Raven had just taken on a massive amount of pain from Beast Boy with her empathetic powers.

"I thought you were dead," Brand said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Raven glanced at the silhouette of the white-haired teen, frowning at his tone. "I told you I'd be all right," she reminded him stiffly. "I teleported out of the ship long before it crashed. You should have followed Robin's orders."

The Weapon looked back at her, his eyes like chips of ice in the darkness. "I know," he said. "But I couldn't... just leave you."

A hint of anger colored Raven's next words. "There's a reason we came here, Brand. We have a job to do. It's bad enough that I got myself shot down, but you followed me, Beast Boy followed you, and now the others are at half-strength. They could be in more trouble than we are, and we're all stuck here, unable to help them."

"Wait, wait..." Brand protested, turning to face her fully. "I followed you down, but you can't blame Beast Boy on me, I didn't say a word to him. He would have disobeyed orders regardless of what I did." His voice sharpened and got louder as he thought his way through to his conclusion. "In fact, if I _hadn't_ come after you, where would you be? You'd still be stuck here alone with Beast Boy, who's half-worthless even when he's not injured."

"I'd rather _neither_ of you came after me," Raven said.

Brand snorted a laugh. "Of course. You'd rather be all alone on an alien planet, Raven? You like being alone that much?"

The sorceress didn't answer. She shivered in the cold night air, thinking of Brand's words. If he was telling the truth about Beast Boy, and Brand hadn't followed her, there would have been no one to cut the changeling down from the wreck of his ship. No one to bind his wounds. Garfield could have been dead before she'd gotten to him. But even if neither of them had come after her... she'd be stuck on an unfamiliar world with no allies, no one she could count on, wondering if anyone else had survived.

"No," she admitted at last, quietly. "I wouldn't like being here alone." Raven could sense Brand calm down and she breathed an internal sigh of relief. This had almost turned into another one of their endless arguments. She didn't want the Weapon to get as close as he thought he wanted to be, but that didn't mean she enjoyed fighting with him.

"I'm glad you're alive," he said after a minute, glancing at her. "I thought I was imagining things when you moved my ship during that last dogfight."

Raven closed her eyes, pain and weariness rolling through her body like a tide. "I didn't realize that you knew it was me, considering you went out of your way to get hit that second time."

"You know why I did that, right?" Brand asked.

The sorceress nodded in the darkness. "I didn't at first, but then I saw you eject. You wanted them to think they had succeeded in killing us all so they wouldn't keep searching for survivors." She hesitated. "It was good thinking."

He thought that she couldn't tell when he was blushing because of the darkness, but she could sense it as easily as she could sense any of his other mood changes. Brand was usually not hard to read. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"And..." the words almost stuck in her throat. "Thank you for helping Beast Boy," she said. This time she felt him go cold. He didn't respond, and his mind closed like a steel box. Raven felt a strange awkwardness about the subject and chose to move on. "I saw a settlement on my way down," she said instead. "Off to the east. We'll make for it tomorrow."

"Sounds good," Brand said, clearly relieved that she hadn't pressed for a response. "I'm guessing it's safe to move Beast Boy then?"

Raven scanned the changeling with her magic again, just to make sure. "He'll be fine," she confirmed. "I'll make sure he doesn't get bumped around too much."

"No," Brand interrupted sharply.

"What?"

"I'll carry him," Brand clarified.

The sorceress rolled her eyes. "That's not necessary, Brand," she said.

"We've been in a similar situation before, you and I," the Weapon reminded her. "I'm not going to let you use up all your energy again when we might need it at the end of the day. I can carry him just as easily as you can."

Raven sighed out loud this time. "When are you going to realize that I don't need your help?"

She could feel him smirk. "When are you going to realize that I'm going to try anyway?" he countered.

"Can you guys keep it down?" A croak of a voice interrupted them. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Shut up, Beast Boy," Raven and Brand said automatically at the same time, not even looking at the changeling.

The half-demon gave the reclining form of Beast Boy a double-take. "You're awake," she stated unnecessarily.

"Yeah, but..." the shape-shifter took a deep, painful breath. "I don't feel too good."

"Just rest, Garfield," Raven said softly. "You're going to be fine." She extended a hand, using a bit of her power to ease his discomfort and send the changeling back to sleep, wincing at the extra dose of pain that it injected into her own body. Brand looked at her with narrowed eyes, but said nothing as the shape-shifter drifted back into a fitful sleep.

There was a long moment of silence. "'Garfield'?" Brand repeated, amused. Raven almost smiled, relieved that her young friend was okay. "You should get some rest, too," the Weapon continued. "I know how healing can drain you. I can keep watch in the meantime."

She thought to protest, but her eyelids were already closing at the mere mention of 'rest'. It occurred to her that she wasn't hesitating to leave their lives in Brand's hands. Whatever the issue he was hiding about his rescue of Beast Boy, the Weapon had proven himself today. Raven moved a few feet away from the reclining form of Beast Boy and settled down as best she could on the hard ground. "Wake me if anything happens," she murmured, lowering her head to the dirt, using the hood of her cloak as a pillow. _I hope the others are okay, too,_ she thought as she drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Back when I was first formulating what, exactly, the "Tamaran Arc" was going to consist of, the original conception was for all the Titans and Brand to be working as a single unit on Tamaran itself. Admittedly, it is difficult to have scenes with that many characters all doing something at the same time, so I decided to split them into two groups. I don't remember now when the "crash" scenario occurred to me, but it was a perfect catalyst for the split and ended up fueling most of what happens in the following chapters.
> 
> Related to the above, Robin's guilt about leaving Raven, Beast Boy, and (to a lesser extent) Brand behind seemed a natural reaction for the character to have, while also allowing for a small bit of character-building material for the boy wonder, even if it isn't - strictly speaking - his arc. There will be more of this later on.
> 
> Brand's wounded wandering across Jalascis is a decent example of the "visual" way I formulate some scenes. It's a very striking picture of this tiny figure limping across a vast alien wasteland. I don't think I quite captured the image I had in my head, but it's kind of a film-making method of writing, starting a new scene with an establishing shot.


	12. Citadel III: Face to Face

"Princess Koriand'r, you must get some sleep," the gruff – but still comforting – voice of her old k'norfka said from behind Starfire. She had been walking aimlessly through the familiar-yet-strange halls of the royal palace, unable to shake her worries for her friends and her planet. The situation was bad, true, but with the Titans at her side, even war would not be an insurmountable problem. With half of them gone, however, she felt as if a piece of her own soul had been torn out. The weight of her burdens threatened to crush her, and robbed her of any rest. It was the same for the others, she knew. Robin was outside, staring up at the sky as if he could find the missing Titans with his masked, unaided eyes. Cyborg had thrown himself into his work, trying to construct a transmitter that could break through the Citadelian jamming and find out if Raven, Beast Boy, and Brand were alive.

And Starfire was here, losing herself in the massive chambers of her childhood home, emerald eyes barely noticing the rich, red velvet draperies, the tan woods, the golden gilding, the wealth and elegance of her ancestral palace. Such wealth had never done her any good. It hadn't saved her from becoming a slave to the Gordanians, and she hadn't missed it in her time on Earth. She would give it all up in an instant to keep her friends and her people safe.

She heard Galfore approach, the giant Tamaranean's booted feet loud on the stone floor. "I know it is difficult right now," the Grand Ruler said, his voice soft as it was only when it spoke to her, his gentle kindness putting the lie to his fearsome appearance. "But the Citadel's new leader will be here tomorrow night. You must be ready to receive them."

"Do not worry about me," Starfire said, turning to face the great bear of the man she had declared Grand Ruler of Tamaran in her stead. Galfore was clearly a warrior, his great, muscled body like an unmovable wall, the long scar that ran down his face and over one eye – which had been blinded – made him look _more_ invincible, not less, as if nothing could stop him. And yet he was capable of such joy, such caring, that Starfire could never see him as a threat.

But even in the few short months since he had been made Grand Ruler, the burdens of the office had weighed even Galfore down. His red hair was streaked with strands of gray, and new wrinkles lined his bearded face. Starfire wished that she could have left a peaceful Tamaran in her k'norfka's care, but fate had conspired against her, against them both.

Galfore smiled gently at her. "It is my duty and my pleasure to worry about you, Princess," he said. The smile faded, leaving his expression as sad as she had ever seen it. "I am sorry that I could not handle this crisis myself. I would rather have allowed you to stay on Earth than bring you into the middle of a war."

Starfire took one of the man's giant hands in both of hers. "There is no need for you to apologize, my old friend," she said. "It is the Citadel who has to answer for what it has done. Both to Tamaran and to me."

"Good," Galfore said, nodding decisively. "Keep that righteous fury in your heart."

The Titan hesitated only briefly before nodding back. Her time in Raven's body and on Earth in general had taught her that most humans did not view anger as a positive emotion. Some, like Brand, could let it overwhelm them and lashed out in destructive ways. Among her own people, however, unrestrained emotion was a way of life. Joy, passion, confidence, and, yes, even fury. These were not just normal for a Tamaranean, they were the fuel for her powers.

"I will not forget," Starfire promised.

Galfore reached out to embrace her. "You have always made me proud, Koriand'r," he said. "I know you will continue to do so. I believe you will find a way to stop this war and save our people."

Starfire leaned into the big man's embrace, squeezing her eyes closed. She wished she had his confidence.

* * *

They had gotten an early start that morning. The sun had risen somewhere behind Tamaran, lightening the sky to a dull, burnt orange, but only raising the temperature a few degrees. Their breath made short-lived clouds in the air as they traveled. Raven led the way, dropping back every once in a while to check on Beast Boy, who Brand carried on his back. The changeling wasn't heavy, and the Weapon's muscles were more than up to the task, but it was not a fun way to travel.

Occasionally, Beast Boy would wake up long enough to mumble some nonsense or offer an apology. "Sorry, I'll be good to walk soon," or "Five more minutes," and then drift back to sleep. Raven's magic was encouraging his healing, and that healing was most effective when the subject was at rest. Brand understood, he just found it uncomfortable. Especially since the shape-shifter drooled in his sleep.

To his surprise, Raven had stayed firmly on the ground with him instead of flying ahead. He had thought to ask her about it, but didn't want to give her any ideas. Even though they didn't speak, he found himself enjoying that he was able to be close to her without arguing. _She takes time_ , he reminded himself, still stubbornly believing in his stun-induced hallucination as if the words meant anything.

After several hours, the barrens gave way to what appeared to be a rainforest – although the climate was far from tropical – massive trees rising around them, heavy with dark green leaves. Small creatures, the local equivalent to birds and some kind of small lizard, scampered away from the trio as they approached. Brand turned his head slightly. "You're missing all the alien animals, Beast Boy," he said quietly. The changeling grunted what might have been an incoherent response.

He turned back to say something to Raven, but she held out a hand in warning. She glanced at him under her hood, then clenched her fist briefly before opening it again. She repeated the motion, then made a small circle with her hand, glancing up at the trees that now surrounded them. Brand felt his cheek twitch. There were at least ten people in the trees above them, surrounding them. He didn't question the sorceress's ability to sense other life-forms, just tilted his head at the sorceress in a silent question: _friend or foe?_ Raven shifted her shoulders in a minute shrug.

Outnumbered five-to-one, forced to defend their wounded companion, on an alien world with no backup in sight. The Weapon's fingers itched for the handle of the T-sword, which now hung from his left hip while he carried Beast Boy. Raven gave him another look, then turned away and began to walk again. She seemed to be saying "follow my lead."

"Interesting how the leaves are green on this world as well," the half-demon said conversationally, acting as if they were on some recreational nature hike instead of surrounded by possible enemies. "Makes you wonder if chlorophyll is a universal thing."

Brand followed her, keeping an eye on his surroundings while trying not to appear as if her were looking in all directions. He wondered why he hadn't heard the beings who Raven claimed surrounded them. "I hadn't really noticed," he admitted blandly. _Do better than that!_ He commanded himself. "I'm more interested in whether there's anything edible in this forest," he continued. "I'm already tired of ration bars." _There you go_. He quickened his pace until he was walking side-by-side with the sorceress. His blue eyes met hers in another bout of non-verbal communication: _Are they still following?_

She nodded almost imperceptibly. So whoever the beings were, they were pacing them, but they hadn't attacked yet. Was that good or bad? Maybe if they didn't do anything threatening, their stalkers would simply let them go without harassment. That must've been Raven's thought as well. Keep walking, don't make any sudden moves, don't let on that they knew the others were there.

Unfortunately, there was one member of the trio who was not a part of their silent conversation.

Beast Boy jerked awake on Brand's back with a snort. "I can smell them!" he cried out, his voice hoarse, but clearly fully awake. "We're surrounded!" He squirmed against the Weapon's back, trying to look everywhere at once.

Even as the shape-shifter warned them of the danger they were already aware of, their stalkers dropped from above the trees, floating down as if gravity were only lightly pulling them. They were armed and armored, military, dressed in purple so dark it was almost black and trimmed in silver highlights. They carried long polearms, and opaque masks covered their faces, but their hair...

"Tamaraneans," Raven breathed in cautious relief. Red hair streamed out behind each of the aliens' heads. The soldiers stiffened at the word, raising their weapons. Raven lifted her hands up slowly, palms out. "We come in peace," she said slowly. "We traveled with your princess Starfire." No reaction. Inspiration seemed to strike the sorceress. "Koriand'r," she clarified, using the girl's Tamaranean designation.

At that name, several of the soldiers looked at each other. The biggest one, apparently the leader, gestured for the others to lower their weapons, then looked to one of his subordinates. The soldier, her feminine figure evident even under her heavy armor, nodded, slipping her mask off to reveal a smooth, young face not dissimilar to Starfire's own. She had the same eyebrows – odd to human eyes – the same orange-tinted skin, and the same green eyes, as well as a short mane of fiery hair.

The young woman approached Raven, who twisted her head slightly to the side, looking at the soldier dubiously. The soldier seemed to reconsider, then stepped over to Brand, looking at him for a long moment with emerald eyes far colder than he had ever seen on Starfire. Brand stared back, his own eyes narrowing in suspicion, conscious of the weight of Beast Boy on his back, which was keeping his hands out of line to defend himself. The Tamaranean grasped the Weapon's chin roughly in one hand, and Brand tried to lean back to escape, but the alien was too quick. She leaned forward and _kissed_ him.

Brand was all too aware that Beast Boy had a front-row seat to this unexpected development, and even more aware that Raven was also watching. He flushed deeply, but was unable to escape or even push the young woman way. After what seemed to be a long time, but what was actually only a few seconds, the Tamaranean leaned back and stepped away, eyeing the white-haired teen as if he were a specimen in a petri dish. Raven, meanwhile, was looking at him as if he were something she had found on the bottom of her shoe.

"Dude," Beast Boy said.

The Weapon's mouth worked silently for a moment before he found his voice. "What was that about?" he sputtered.

"Explain yourself," the young woman said, ignoring Brand. "Why are you here?" It took them a few moments to realize that the Tamaranean now spoke perfect English.

Raven was the first to recover, throwing Brand an inscrutable glance. "As I said, we came to Tamaran with your princess Koriand'r, who we call Starfire," she said. "We are her comrades, here to stand with her against the Citadel and the Gordanians."

The young woman turned to her superior officer to give a brief translation in a language that seemed to be made mostly of consonants, then fixed Raven with her green-eyed stare. "You are... Teen Titans?" she asked. Raven nodded. "You were the ones who were shot down over Jalascis yesterday?" Another nod. For the first time, the Tamaranean smiled. "Then all is well. X'hal has sent you to us."

"Zahl?" Beast Boy asked from over Brand's shoulder, mangling the pronunciation of the alien word. "Who's that, and why did he shoot us down?"

"You misunderstand," the Tamaranean said, shaking her head. "X'hal is our goddess, and you..." she looked at each of the three bedraggled humans in turn. "You are her answer to our prayers."

The three off-worlders stared in stunned silence at the Tamaranean soldier. "That's the first time anyone's ever called me _that_ ," Raven said dryly.

* * *

The Tamaraneans took the three of them back to what they called "Tamaran Base", a military installation that was also their main settlement on the moon of Jalascis. Beast Boy was recovered enough to walk on his own feet the last part of the journey, although his footsteps dragged in the gray-ish dirt. The base itself looked more like an ancient temple, built of huge blocks of dark stone; a massive, threatening structure in the middle of the temperate jungle surrounded by a thick wall.

Their guide, the same young woman who had kissed Brand, led them to a room deep in the base where they could wash, eat, and rest for a brief time. In theory anyway. In practice, Tamaranean cuisine was an acquired taste, and the furniture was... unsafe. They satisfied themselves with ration bars from the T-ship survival pack and water, sitting on the cold stone of the floor.

Afterwards, the Tamaranean girl – D'kay – led Raven and Brand to meet with her commander. Beast Boy stayed behind to hopefully finish recovering from the wounds he had received when his module crashed. The sorceress and the Weapon followed their guide at a discreet distance, and Raven could sense Brand's discomfort growing as they walked through massive stone hallways lit incongruously with electric lights and lined with endless wires and pipes. The contrast between ancient building and modern military base was striking.

"I didn't know she was going to kiss me," Brand blurted at last, glancing sidelong at the half-demon.

Raven didn't look at him, her strides long and measured, blue cloak twitching from side to side as she walked. "It's how Tamaraneans learn languages," she explained. "Starfire did the same thing to Robin when she first came to Earth."

"So that's why..." The Weapon said. She could sense his blush. "I didn't know," he repeated. "How could I know?"

"I really don't care, Brand," Raven said shortly. "When this is all over, you can go and 'teach' every Tamaranean in the base English if you want." Her strides grew quicker, closing the gap that had grown between them and their guide. It wasn't because she was annoyed at Brand. Not at all. She just didn't want to get lost in the unfamiliar military installation.

She felt the flare of anger and embarrassment from the Weapon, quickly stifled, and he quickened his own pace to keep up with her.

They entered a large room lined with computer monitors and screens; a situation room, most likely. Tamaranean soldiers bustled around, and the chamber was loud with the buzz of indistinct conversation. The big soldier who had led the others in the jungle was there, standing near the center of the chaos looking down at a holographic map projected on the table before him. He was facing away from them, but Raven recognized his build. He turned towards them as they approached and Raven almost gasped. His mask was off and his face...

Rather than the tan-orange skin of the average Tamaranean, his was so dark that it was almost red, only a few shades lighter than his crimson hair. That, combined with his size had made her think of Trigon. She clamped down on her thoughts and moved forward to greet the man, Brand coming up beside her.

"Ah, Titans," the man said, his voice deep and resonant, though he did not seem especially old. "I am Colonel Ph'yzzon of the Tamaranean army. I trust you are feeling better after your refreshments?"

"You speak our language," Brand noted unnecessarily. The sorceress shot him a warning glance. She didn't know what series of lip-locks had taken place to teach the colonel English and she didn't _want_ to know.

Ph'yzzon nodded gravely. "I have been briefed," he said. Raven saw Brand's lip start to curl in one of his smirks, but he caught the look on her face and stopped himself.

"D'kay implied that you were in some sort of trouble," Raven said, eager to get the conversation on a more comfortable and productive track.

"That is true," Ph'yzzon confirmed, and Raven noted that he, like Starfire, did not seem to grasp contractions. "You yourself have seen the enemy massed around us." He pressed a few buttons on a console before him and a hologram of Tamaran and its moons materialized above the table. "The Citadel has been sending hundreds of ships to besiege our position, and we have been subjected to many scans from orbit."

Brand raised his hands. "Hold on, you're talking as if the Citadel is here for _you_ specifically, not Tamaran."

Ph'yzzon nodded. "I believe they are." He entered another command on the console and the view of the planet and its moon zoomed in, countless dots marking the positions of all the enemy ships. "You see here that the blockade is mostly centered around Jalascis itself, not the entirety of Tamaran."

Studying the display, Raven found that the colonel was right. The vast majority of Tamaran space was clear of any enemy craft. It had just been bad luck that the Titans had chosen that particular vector to approach the planet, otherwise they could have landed without being fired upon or even noticed. "Why?" she asked in her simple, no-nonsense way.

"What do you think this building is?" Ph'yzzon asked, answering her question with another question and spreading his hands to indicate the entire structure. "Besides a military base."

"A temple," Raven said with a barely perceptible shiver. She remembered the dark temple of Trigon where she had fulfilled her destiny and become the portal for her father.

The colonel nodded at her. "That is it, precisely. And in this temple is the greatest treasure of the Tamaranean people."

"And you believe that the Citadel would go to war to claim this... treasure?" Raven asked.

"The treasure would allow them to conquer not only Tamaran, but the entirety of the Vegan system," Ph'yzzon said darkly. "Perhaps the entire galaxy." He turned away, staring at the representation of his home planet and the moon he warded. "It was supposed to be a secret, known only to our people, but the Citadel's deployment leaves no doubts. They know it is here, on Jalascis, and they mean to claim it." He turned back to face the swordsman and the half-demon. "We cannot allow them to do so," he said.

Brand laughed. "I knew we were heading into a war zone, but this..." he turned towards the sorceress. "We're at ground zero," he said. Raven wondered how he could find this amusing.

"Will you help us?" Ph'yzzon pressed.

Raven closed her eyes and considered for a long moment. She wished Robin and the others were here, but there was no one else. She was in charge, and it was her decision to make. To pledge herself, Brand, and Beast Boy to fight in a war, or to leave the Tamaraneans to fend for themselves. There was only one possible choice she could make.

Her amethyst eyes opened and she met Ph'yzzon's gaze evenly. "We will fight with you," she said.

* * *

Robin felt horribly out of place in the throne room of the Tamaranean palace, dressed in his garish costume and trying to remain inconspicuous. Ten Tamaranean soldiers lined the huge chamber, fully armed and impassive, lining the extravagant red carpet that led to the throne, where Starfire sat attempting to look regal and poised, the "M"-shaped Grand Ruler's crown sitting firmly on her red-haired head, awaiting the Citadel's leader. Galfore stood beside her, looking huge and intimidating. Robin had chosen a dark corner and wrapped his black cape around himself like a cloak. It didn't escape his notice that it was a very _Batman_ stance to take, and it was just another sign of how deeply the man's lessons had been ingrained into the boy wonder's mind.

That and possibly leaving three of his teammates behind to die in order to complete a mission, which he also thought was also a very Batman thing to do.

The white eye holes of his mask narrowed in a reflexive wince at the thought, which was never very far from his mind. Cyborg was still working on his transmitter, but even if he succeeded... it was possible there was no one alive to contact. It was only the hope of their companions' survival that was keeping him, Cyborg, and Starfire going. The thought that their team might be irretrievably broken was an almost-physical pain, like finding out Terra had betrayed them, but even worse.

A blast of Tamaranean "music" - horns and the "gorka pipes" – interrupted his thoughts, announcing the arrival of the Citadel's leader. Robin straightened, wanting to see the person responsible for the war that threatened his girlfriend's home and possibly for the deaths of his friends. First came a number of bodyguards... big, brutish, ape-like creatures that looked like lumps of muscle and fat. Robin knew these were the Citadelians, who were all cloned from a single progenitor. Rumor was that each new generation was less intelligent and more violent than the last. Along with the Citadelians were several Gordanians, green, lizard-like creatures that Robin recognized from their battle on Earth when the Titans first came together.

Finally, the leader himself made his appearance. He was surprisingly small and lean, even under his black armor, not much taller than Robin himself. A featureless black helmet covered his head and face, leaving his visage a mystery. Another lizard alien followed him closely, not a Gordanian, but something else. Robin's first thought was that it was some kind of servant or attendant, but the alien lacked any sense of servility, intelligent eyes scanning the room, taking in every detail. Robin noticed Starfire stiffen in her throne at the sight of the duo.

The Tamaranean princess stood slowly, regally, and Robin watched, intrigued at seeing this side of the girl, which was never in evidence back on Earth. It didn't escape his notice that neither the emissary nor his entourage bowed or even inclined their heads in respect. Galfore stepped forward. "You stand before Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran," he said, speaking in English at Starfire's request. "Daughter of Myand'r, former Grand Ruler. State your grievance."

The helmeted emissary spoke briefly in an alien language – which Robin tentatively identified as Tamaranean – in a scornful tone, his voice muffled only slightly by the blank, black helmet.

Starfire narrowed her green eyes in response. "My comrade _will_ be a part of this conversation," she said, her voice steely, glancing briefly at where Robin stood. "And as you are here at my sufferance, after attacking my people and my friends, I will speak in whatever language I choose."

A disrespectful sigh came from behind the helmet, and the emissary glanced at his reptilian companion, who raised a small mechanical device and pointed it at the slight, armored figure. The Tamaranean guards tensed, readying their weapons. The emissary seemed to vibrate for a brief moment, then turned back to face Starfire. "If you insist, Princess," he said, now speaking in English. "Although this primitive language offends my senses, never let it be said that I am not willing to compromise."

"Psion trickery," Galfore growled, staring daggers at the reptilian being next to the emissary.

Starfire waved the massive man back. "Peace, Galfore," she said, but her voice was tight with her own discomfort. "All the same, I would ask that your companion refrain from using any more of his... _machines_... in my presence." Again, Robin was surprised to see this side of the red-head who he had grown so close to on Earth, hearing the anger in her voice. It reminded him of the rage and hatred that she had displayed on her first arrival to his home planet. "I was a slave of your Citadel for several years, and I have no good memories of Psions and their endless experimentation."

The emissary shrugged expansively. "You're full of demands, Princess," he said airily.

"You and your army are the ones who have come, in force, on your sick dreams of conquest, Emissary," Starfire countered, her voice cold. "All I demand is respect. You demand surrender."

"Then we understand each other," the helmeted man said, with an almost visible smile. "The Citadel does, indeed, demand your surrender. But we are prepared to take it if we must."

Starfire went very still. "You are insane if you think that I will surrender Tamaran to you," she said. "My father did not let the Gordanians have our planet, and I refuse to give in to you, even under threat of force."

"Your _father_ ," the emissary hissed, "surrendered you to the Gordanians in exchange for peace, sent away his only son in a vain attempt to protect him. He gave up _everything!_ If you insist on following his example, then my victory is all but assured."

Robin watched Starfire closely during this exchange. He had heard this story before from the red-headed Titan, and he knew that she had buried that pain deeply, had forgiven her parents for the hard choices they had made, but to have those wounds ripped open so callously... Her face went pale, and there was something in her face, a horrible suspicion.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The emissary spread his hands, calm once more. "What is it that you call yourself in this language?" He asked. "Starfire? Well since I stand against you, against the light that you cast, you can call me... 'Darkfire'."

Starfire seemed to collect herself. "Well then, Darkfire," she said. "Surely you must know that an attack on Tamaran would only unite the other races of Vega against you. Even if you did manage to defeat us here, it would only guarantee your own destruction."

"Ah, but I chose Tamaran first for a reason," Darkfire said, raising a finger and wagging it, a strangely human affectation. "Because once I am done with this planet, the rest of the Vega system will pose no threat to the Citadel or to me."

This time, Robin saw both Starfire and Galfore tense up.

"I do not know what you are talking about," Starfire said slowly.

Darkfire pointed at the princess. "You must remember the last days before Myand'r gave you up to the Citadel," he said. "Tamaran was winning the war, beating back the Gordanians, but something changed... suddenly, your enemies were able to bypass all your protective measures, avoid all your countermeasures, make their way even into this very palace. And you remember why?"

"Blackfire," Starfire said darkly.

"Komand'r had betrayed us," Galfore growled, his voice thick with anger.

The emissary folded his arms in a self-satisfied way. "And now you have been betrayed again. Not by Komand'r, but by another," he said. "I know about Jalascis." Robin's eyes widened under his mask, recognizing the name of the moon where he had lost his friends. "I know about the temple... about the tomb." Even under the helmet, his evil smile was evident in his tone. "As I said, once we are done with Tamaran, the Okaarans, the Omega Men... none of them will be any threat to us."

"We will fight you," Starfire said.

"You will lose," Darkfire countered.

The Tamaranean princess shook her head. "Even if we lose, you will not win. The temple will not open to you. Your mission is in vain."

"And that is why I am here," Darkfire said. "The only reason you still live is because you will tell me how to enter the temple."

"Never," Starfire promised.

The emissary shook his head. "Predictable." He raised one hand, and, as one, his bodyguards, both Citadelian and Gordanian, turned against their Tamaranean counterparts. Instantly, the room erupted into chaos as the two sets of guards fought and died. Robin didn't hesitate, twitching aside his cape, pulling out a birdarang, and throwing it at Darkfire in one smooth, uninterrupted motion. The projectile flew directly towards the emissary's helmet, but Darkfire didn't even turn his head, just raised one hand and...

Blasted the birdarang out of the air with a red starbolt.

_What?!_ Robin thought, shocked. He hesitated an instant too long, as another starbolt hurtled towards him and threw him against the wall, the chest of his uniform smoking from the heat of the energy blast.

Starfire had begun to charge the helmeted emissary, but she paused, looking towards her fallen boyfriend. "Robin!" she cried. Galfore took her place on the attack, the giant man flying towards Darkfire like a falling wall, one tree-trunk of an arm extended to slam into the Citadel leader. Darkfire ducked under the battering ram of a fist and punched the massive Tamaranean in the stomach. If Darkfire had been a different species, the punch wouldn't have had any effect, but the emissary had the same strength that Starfire possessed, and the boundless confidence to power it. Galfore flew backwards, crashing through the Grand Ruler's throne and into the wall behind it.

The emissary flew after the big bear of a man, past Starfire, who was frozen in indecision and surprise, standing beside Galfore as he slid down the splintered wall. He extended his hand again, which glowed red with potential energy. Even as he did so, the last of the Tamaranean guards fell to the Citadel forces. Only a few Citadelians and Gordanians remained, most of Darkfire's entourage lay dead on the floor.

"It is over, Koriand'r!" the emissary shouted. "Tell me how to enter the temple." The helmeted face turned down to stare at Galfore, whose twisted body lay on the floor, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, blending into the red beard. "Do not make me kill this man."

Starfire could only stare, green eyes wide in shock at the carnage that had occurred in only a few moments. "Tell this treacherous clorbag nothing, Princess!" Galfore roared weakly from his place on the ground.

"Let. Him. Go," Starfire said, each word clear, shaped by her pain and anger. Her hands and eyes glowed a wicked green. Robin struggled to his feet, coughing, trying to ignore the burn on his chest, unwilling to let the red-head fight this battle alone.

"I will let him go when you tell me what I want to know," Darkfire responded. A ball of crimson energy grew slowly in his hand, coloring Galfore in bloody highlights. "Do not push me on this."

The glow faded from Starfire's hands and eyes. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. "It will do you no good," she said, a hint of defiance still in her voice. "Only a member of the Tamaranean royal family can open the temple, and I would die sooner than help you."

To their surprise, Darkfire began to laugh. The blank-helmeted figure actually doubled over in laughter that was a little too high, a little too harsh to be true mirth. Finally he straightened again. "Then we truly are done here, Princess," he said, extinguishing his red starbolt and lifting his hand away from the wounded Galfore. The hidden face turned towards the Psion, who stood where Darkfire had left him, unmoved by the violence. "Commence the assault," he said. The Psion nodded.

In that brief moment of inattention, Starfire struck, soaring forward in a green flash, her hand slamming into the helmeted face. The helmet shattered upon impact, the pieces flying away from the emissary's face. Starfire drew her fist back to strike Darkfire again, but as she caught sight of what had been hidden behind the helmet, she cried out in surprise and fear, drawing back and falling to her knees. Darkfire's back was to Robin, and all he could see was the mane of dark red hair that he had already guessed was hiding under the helmet. The emissary's hand extended again, glowing with crimson light.

Robin took his shot, drawing one of his explosives this time. He threw it, hoping his aim was true. The projectile flew towards its intended target, not Darkfire, but the Psion. "No!" Darkfire screamed, lifting his hand to shoot the explosive out of the air. The force of the explosion still sent the reptilian creature flying backwards to collapse in a smoking heap on the floor, twitching feebly in its robes. Darkfire jetted towards the fallen Psion, Starfire forgotten, scooped the alien up in his arms, and retreated, the remains of his entourage following.

"Starfire!" Robin cried, running towards the Tamaranean's side. She was still on the floor where Darkfire had left her, fallen to her knees, green eyes staring sightlessly at where the emissary had stood. "Starfire, are you okay?" he asked, taking the girl by the shoulders and giving her a brief once-over to check for injuries. He saw nothing, but Starfire barely responded to his words. "What did you see?"

The red-head shook herself, attempting to collect her wits. "I saw..." she swallowed and closed her eyes. "I saw his face," she finished. "I know who he is. How he knows about the temple on Jalascis."

"Who is he?" Robin asked, wondering who it could've been that would get such a response from the other Titan.

Starfire's green eyes opened, full of pain. "He called himself Darkfire, but I know his true identity," she said. "His real name is Wildfire... Ryand'r."

Robin stared. He recognized that name.

The girl's voice was faint, but sure. "He is my brother."

* * *

The attack began that night. The alarms blared and flashing blue lights – the Tamaranean color for danger – awoke the three Titans from their fitful sleep in the temple on the moon of Jalascis. Brand looked at Raven and Beast Boy in the strobe of azure. "It's time," Brand said, his voice still hoarse from sleep. "Are you ready?"

Raven nodded, almost invisible in the dark of the night and the blue lights, already out of bed and pulling on her boots, but she looked towards Beast Boy. "You should stay here," she said to the changeling.

"No way," Beast Boy said, sounding even more bleary than Brand had. "I'm good to go."

Brand stared at the shape-shifter. "Be sure," he said harshly, swinging his legs off the edge of his bunk and reaching for the T-sword and its sheath. "I don't want to have to watch out for you out there."

Beast Boy stared back. "Look," the changeling said. "Raven told me that you got me out of my ship and patched me up. You helped saved me." He shook his head angrily. "You didn't leave me behind like Robin did to us." His emerald eyes met Brand's blue ones. "I know that we don't always see eye to eye, but I won't let you down, Brand."

"Beast Boy..." Raven protested, looking at the shape-shifter.

The Weapon clenched his teeth, uncomfortable with the changeling's words and their source in a lie. "You don't owe me anything," he growled. "Find some other reason to fight or stay in here." He turned away to finish getting ready.

As one, the three Titans left their room and found that the rest of the base was bedlam, Tamaraneans running through the hall in a river of sentient beings. They joined the flow out the great arch that led out of the temple. Above them, stars twinkled, the white and red ball of Tamaran hanging heavily overhead, but all of that was background. The first thing Brand noticed was the fiery meteors of drop ships falling through the atmosphere to land troops on the ground.

There was only one reason to choose to fight with troops instead of simply to bombard them from orbit: Ph'yzzon was right. The Citadel was here for the treasure that lay beneath them. Brand remembered the rest of that conversation...

" _We will fight with you," Raven said, violet eyes fixed on the Tamaranean Colonel. "But first, we have to know what we're dealing with. What_ is _this treasure?"_

_Ph'yzzon hesitated, glancing around at the soldiers under his command. Then he gestured Brand and Raven into a further chamber of the base, away from the general bustle. The big alien sighed. "What lies below us is the great secret of the Vega system, entrusted to us by the warrior-monks of Okaara."_

" _What could be such a big deal?" Brand asked._

" _If I understand the subtleties of your language, a temple is the dwelling place of a god," Ph'yzzon said in answer. "And so it is here. In this temple rests X'hal herself, our dead goddess."_

_Raven's mouth flattened into a thin line. "You have a dead goddess under this temple?" she asked._

" _How can a dead goddess be used to conquer a star system?" Brand asked. He glanced at the sorceress. He knew that if anyone understood the mystical implications of such a thing, it would be her._

_Ph'yzzon hesitated again. "She is not 'dead' in the way you or I would normally use the word," he clarified. "She is merely... dormant. She sleeps. And that is for the good of all of us." Raven raised an eyebrow, indicating that he should continue. "X'hal was once a kind, benevolent Okaaran, but the Psions long ago experimented on her, which imbued her with great powers, but also a spirit of rage and vengeance. She destroyed the Psion base where she had been held, along with three other planets in the Vega system." The colonel's eyes stared out past the walls of the temple as if imagining the terrible destruction that his goddess had caused. "In her remorse, she sealed her own spirit, and now she sleeps, in stasis." The green eyes focused again on the two outworlders. "We hope that some day she will awaken as the X'hal that she once was."_

" _But if she awakens before the due time..." Raven began._

" _Then she may destroy us all," Ph'yzzon confirmed._

And now the Citadel was here to do that very thing. To awaken a dead goddess and use her incredible power to wreak destruction across an entire star system, perhaps the entire galaxy. Brand felt his cheek twitch at the thought. He wondered how he had ended up here. His life used to be so... simple. Weapon would be issued orders, and they would carry them out. Never before had he imagined standing side by side with aliens and superheroes and fighting to save a galaxy.

The Weapon looked up to see Colonel Ph'yzzon climb atop one of the thick walls that surrounded the temple. The big, red-skinned Tamaranean raised one arm to gain the attention of his troops. "Today, we fight not only for Tamaran, not only for X'hal, but for all our Vegan brothers and sisters," he called, his baritone voice ringing across the courtyard. "We hold the line here, to the last of us if need be. Fight well, and remember always those that you fight to protect." He turned away, staring out to where the drop-ships were landing, awaiting the enemy.

Standing beside Raven and Beast Boy, Brand drew the T-sword and waited with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is another chapter which was originally two. See if you can spot where the original chapter break was. There were thematic similarities enough to warrant putting them together.
> 
> It's difficult to write from Starfire's perspective, at least to me, because her thoughts have to be tinged with her alien perspective and language. Nonetheless, I like how the scene between her and Galfore turned out.
> 
> The "kiss" scene was a fun one to write, but also a necessary one for plot purposes.
> 
> Ph'yzzon is actually a canon character from the DC comics Teen Titans series, repurposed slightly for this story.
> 
> The meeting between Starfire and Darkfire was an interesting scene to work on since it is almost entirely dialogue.
> 
> X'hal's general history and status are also inspired by the 1980's Teen Titans comic books.


	13. Citadel IV: Conflict

Brand swung the T-sword like a baseball bat, deforming the fat head of the Citadelian before him for a moment until his weapon hit the alien's skull. The momentum of his swing was transferred to the big, ape-like creature and sent it tumbling away over the uneven ground. Teeth bared in a grin, the white-haired teen spun on one heel, sending his blade-less sword towards a Gordanian on the backswing. The weapon rang with the impact and the Gordanian dropped, unconscious. Instinctively, Brand rolled forward, guessing he had been in one spot too long, and an energy blast whizzed through the space he had just been standing, lightning bright in the Jalascis night.

And yet, for all his bravado and brashness, Raven could see that the Weapon was losing ground. His skills were far better suited to smaller engagements and one-on-one contests, not large-scale battles. As opposed to the Titans, Brand had nothing that could effectively combat crowds. Each opponent had to be taken down individually, and – even as fast as he was – Brand could not help but take more time for every enemy than he had to give it.

Across the battlefield, on the other side of where Raven herself was fighting, Beast Boy shifted rapidly between animal forms, juggling the size and damage potential of elephants, rhinos, and tyrannosaurs with the low profile and speed of squirrels, cheetahs, or swallows. A sweep from a massive, saurian tail flattened a dozen Gordanians, but – as laser blasts and projectiles homed in on the massive creature – the changeling transformed into a rabbit and bounded away, almost invisible in the dark.

Even under normal circumstances, so many shifts under such pressure would have been difficult for Beast Boy to manage, and much more so when he was still recovering from the wounds he had sustained in his crash only two days ago. Raven winced sympathetically with each transformation, knowing how it must be hurting the younger Titan.

She wasn't doing much better than her companions. Although she took out entire platoons of Citadel forces using huge, loose blocks of stone from the temple behind her, although she could create shields for herself and for the Tamaraneans fighting on all sides and protect them from harm, although she could fly and teleport to wherever she was needed most, there was simply too many opponents for her to manage. Too much chaos surrounded her. Too many distractions vied for her attention. Her own life was only a small weight on those scales. The fates of Robin, Starfire and Cyborg weighed her down, as did her concern for the brave Tamaraneans, and her own compatriots.

Even Brand.

Ph'yzzon's voice rose above the sound and chaos, loud and resonant, commanding his troops to fall back. Raven's heart sank within her. They were losing. The Tamaraneans were strong, and capable of flight, but none outside the royal family were capable of using the starbolts that Starfire or Blackfire could wield, and their martial skills, while impressive, weren't going to make up for the disparity of numbers. The Citadel forces were too numerous, and the three off-worlders simply weren't enough to tip the scales. Nonetheless, the sorceress set her face grimly, determined to hold the Citadel back until the Tamaraneans had finished their retreat. By unspoken agreement, Beast Boy stood with her in united purpose. Brand kept fighting as well, though she couldn't tell if he was protecting the Tamaraneans or whether he simply refused to turn his back on the enemy.

The three fought as one, combining attack and defense, making a wall of fallen opponents in front of them. Raven wondered distantly if anyone would survive to tell stories of that last stand. How three warriors from the stars had faced the might of an entire army. Then the fighting intensified and any idle speculation was lost to her mind.

As the Tamaranean forces were pushed back on all fronts, the scales began to tip against Raven personally as well, an inevitable result of the stresses of the last several days. The cacophony of battle seemed to grow even louder, and more and more it was the screams of the dying that rose to the forefront of the sorceress's awareness. Her concentration began to slip, cracks appearing in the mental shields she was always so careful to keep in place. Pain and anger and hatred and fear slipped into those cracks. She could feel Beast Boy's weariness, and Brand's dark glee as he fought. She could sense the terror of those soldiers on both sides as they met their end in a war they didn't understand: The war to start all wars.

And under everything, she could feel the muffled rage of the sleeping goddess beneath their feet, stirring as the slaughter continued unabated above the tomb.

Within her, Raven felt a buried darkness begin to wake from its slumber in response.

"No!" she whispered to herself, floating back to the ground where she sank to her knees. "Oh, no... Not now!" The battle all around her was forgotten, as Raven struggled to win the even more important fight that raged within, desperately putting mental walls in place, closing herself off, shutting out the war, the worry, and her own emotions.

As if from a great distance, she heard Beast Boy. "Raven? What's wrong?"

She shook her head back and forth, over and over again. "It's too much!" she cried out in response. "Too many emotions! So much pain!"

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos... Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." The words, her mantra, were coming too quickly, in hurried breaths... the hopeless prayers of a child fearing the monster under their bed. Only this monster was very real, and it was much closer than that. Raven's demonic heritage was stirring, responding to the horror on every side. The part of her bequeathed by her father, the part that rejoiced in bloodshed and the slaughter of innocents, the part she had spent a lifetime hiding.

So concerned with her own internal war was she that Raven didn't notice the Citadelian until it was almost too late. Distantly she heard Brand shouting her name in warning, and she opened her four glowing, red eyes to find the alien before her, crude war club raised to bash her skull in. The sorceress raised a hand, not in defense, but in warning. "Stop, please," she begged the creature, hoping against all hope and reason that – even if the alien didn't understand English – he would hear the tone in her voice and turn away. Save himself.

But the Citadelian only grinned, lips pulled back from slavering, crooked teeth, face a mask of cruelty, and the club began to fall. It seemed to fall incredibly slowly, slow enough for Raven to see every detail as she met the creature's eyes. As quick as thought, a dark tentacle snaked from under Raven's cloak to touch the alien and it simply fall apart, dissolving into sand even as it was alive. She watched the expression in those beady eyes change from anger to confusion as the alien realized it was dying. And then even that was gone.

Raven sobbed an apology, but the demonic part of her rose in triumph, hot and eager, and she stood with it, seeming to grow taller, her cloak closing around her like a shroud. A fierce grin lit her lips and those four devilish eyes found a Gordanian who stood staring at where his fellow soldier had been a moment before. Another tendril whipped out, blacker than the blackness behind the stars, and the Gordanian was no more, drifting away like dark smoke as Raven's power smote it.

Her power touched one Citadel soldier after another in a veritable storm of black tentacles. Some dissolved, some burned, some simply fell dead. Entire ranks of the enemy vanished... one half of the forces arrayed against them. As death spread, spending its bounty lavishly, the other half of the Citadel army turned and ran, a retreat far less orderly than that of the Tamaraneans had been. But even as their opponents escaped, Raven finally regained control of herself, squeezing her eyes shut and clamping firmly down on the demonic power that had momentarily escaped, sinking back down to her normal size, gulping for breath that she simply couldn't catch.

"What the hell was _that_?" Brand asked into the relative silence, peering into the star-lit darkness at their opponent's backs.

"Raven?" Beast Boy asked cautiously. Raven opened her two amethyst eyes to see that he was looking at her with an expression very close to fear.

The sorceress felt dizzy and spun away, dropping to to her hands and knees and emptying her stomach onto the churned ground beneath her, gasping and choking. Black stars twinkled at the edge of her vision, and she knew she was on the verge of passing out. Strong arms lifted her and she heard her companions shouting her name, shouting for help, but all she could see were the Citadel forces falling before her like wheat before the scythe, dying in droves.

Because of her.

When unconsciousness claimed her, it was a relief.

* * *

One hour later, Brand sat next to Raven's bed, the heels of his hands dug into his eyes. Beast Boy was getting his own wounds taken care of, and the swordsman had volunteered to watch over the unconscious girl while the changeling was away, maintaining a silent vigil over the half-demon in the tiny stone chamber she had been given for her recovery. Even a few days ago, none of the Titans would have ever let him be alone with Raven. Now, Beast Boy didn't hesitate to leave the sorceress in his care. The irony was mostly lost on Brand at this point, however. He was beyond laughing at his plight.

At long last, he had seen Raven's true power unleashed by the horror and anguish of war, and – although it pained him to think about it – he could finally fully understand why Weapon had been sent to kill her. If she hadn't been holding back fighting Brand and his siblings, they would have been dead just as easily as the Citadel army. This terrifying birthright of hers... it was a powder keg just waiting for a spark unless someone stopped it. Brand had means, motive, and opportunity. He could finish his mission. He could kill Raven. And perhaps he should.

The thought made him shudder. Again, he felt the sick fear that had blossomed within him when he saw Raven collapse, the sorceress struggling to breathe. He had picked her up as easily as if she were a child, and screamed at the disbelieving Tamaraneans to help her, to save her the way she had just saved them. They had shuffled about uncertainly for a few moments, and Brand was on the verge of beginning to shout threats (and make good on them) when finally a medic had flown over and taken Raven from his arms and stabilized her to the point where she was breathing normally and sleeping, albeit fitfully.

The Citadel had pulled back, awaiting reinforcements, unwilling to face the power that had ravaged their forces earlier that night. Both sides licked their wounds, but it was a temporary stalemate. The Citadel would not hold back from attacking forever, and the Tamaranean forces were sorely depleted.

_They're on their own this time_ , Brand promised himself viciously, lifting his head from his hands. He wouldn't help them again, and he would not allow Raven to put herself in that position, even if he had to physically restrain her to stop her. _As if that would work_. But his fear was still with him. Not fear for himself, but fear for the girl lying before him.

_What must it be like_ , he wondered, _to have that kind of power and struggle to control it? Not just once or twice, but every day of your life._

She had been twitching and groaning when she was first brought in, but now the sorceress seemed to be resting peacefully. Brand traced her profile with his eyes, at war with himself the way he had been since the first time the two had met. What was it about her that fascinated him so? She was hero and demon, control and passion, light and darkness, infatuation and target.

He was still staring when she stirred and opened her eyes. Violet eyes, not red ones. Brand let out a quiet sigh of relief. She shifted her gaze to his and her cheeks darkened slightly. The Weapon flushed in response, realizing how it must appear to her, waking up to see him watching her sleep. "Where are we?" Raven asked, her voice hoarse. "What happened?" She struggled weakly to sit up.

Something in her voice caused Brand to stiffen up, his back straightening. "What do you remember?" he asked slowly, cautiously.

Raven managed to lever herself up and swung her bare legs over the side of the bed, lifting a pale hand to her forehead. "The Citadel attacked," she said haltingly. "We fought them..." she trailed off.

Brand held his breath, waiting for several seconds, then made a snap-decision. "We fought them off long enough that they pulled back. They're waiting for reinforcements," he said, filling in the gaps of her memory with a version of the truth. "You were injured in the fighting, though, and the Tamaraneans had to patch you up."

"I don't remember any of that," Raven said, shaking her head, "but it explains why my head hurts so much... That was sloppy of me." She looked around. "Is Beast Boy all right?" she asked.

"He's fine," Brand said, letting out the breath he had been holding with the words, hoping it wasn't noticeable. _Please keep her from remembering what she did_ , he prayed silently. He didn't know how he could possibly keep this fiction up, but he knew that if Raven recalled what had happened, it would only be a bad thing.

Raven began to stand, and Brand rose to stop her. "Hold on, Raven, what are you thinking?"

She glared at him. "I'm not here on vacation, Brand," she said harshly. "There's still a war to be fought, if you haven't forgotten."

"Not by us," Brand said without thinking.

" _What_?" the word was as sharp as a spear.

The swordsman raised his hands. "I mean not by both of us," he improvised. "You're still injured."

"That's very considerate of you," Raven responded, rolling her eyes, "but you don't make decisions for me. I need to speak to the colonel." She regained her feet and swayed with dizziness, her face going gray. She tipped forward, almost falling onto the stone floor, but Brand rushed forward to catch her.

She felt warm and soft in his arms. Brand had been too scared for her before to notice, but now, though he was still concerned, the situation was intimate enough that his treacherous brain couldn't ignore the sensory inputs it was receiving. Her breath tickled his neck as she leaned heavily against him. "Lemme go," she slurred weakly.

Brand's face burned, but he still had enough presence of mind to be angry at her stubbornness. "You need to rest, Raven," he said softly but firmly, keeping his face turned away from the girl in his arms, even though all he wanted was to nuzzle against that dark hair, incredibly silky even after the long battle. The feelings she stirred up in him clashed with his feelings as a Weapon, his memories of trying to kill her.

It made him hate himself.

"Let _me_ talk to Ph'yzzon," he compromised, his voice betraying none of his emotions. "Just stay here a little longer," he said. "I'll come back and brief you on the situation." She shook her head against him and Brand shut his eyes tightly, feeling her hair brush against his cheek. " _Yes_ , Raven," he insisted against her silent denial. "Please." This time she didn't refuse.

Brand hesitated, then shifted his grip on the sorceress, finding her communicator clipped to her belt. His hand brushed Raven's hip and she squirmed away, mumbling a quiet protest. His blush deepened, but he deftly snatched the communicator away before scooping her up and placing her gently back onto the bed. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. His lip twitched, feeling both tender and angry. It would be so easy to believe – just for an instant – that this moment could be transplanted into some better time. Being this close to her...

But it was a lie.

Disentangling himself, the Weapon left the small room where Raven rested, walking several meters down the hall before flipping open the communicator. He struggled with the unfamiliar device for a few moments before finding what he needed. Several seconds passed before a tired, green face appeared on the screen. The face leaned in close, comically stretching as it neared the fisheye camera lens.

"Brand?" Beast Boy asked, clearly wondering why the swordsman had a communicator.

"Listen," Brand said, not bothering to explain himself. "Raven woke up for a bit, but – of course – she wanted to get right back to work. She's only sleeping again now because I convinced her I would speak to Ph'yzzon for her and get the sit-rep. I need you to watch her while I'm gone."

To his credit, the changeling just nodded, accepting the order. "Is she all right?"

Glancing at the door, Brand leaned in closer to the audio pickup in the communicator. "She doesn't remember anything about what happened. I want you to keep it that way. As far as the three of us are concerned, it never happened. You understand me?"

Beast Boy nodded again, slower this time.

" _Don't_ let her leave that room, Beast Boy," Brand said, his voice dropping an octave, letting the young Titan know just how serious he was.

"You got it, Brand," the changeling said. "I'll be right there." The screen went blank and Brand closed the communicator.

The Weapon sighed, glancing at Raven's room again, remembering how the girl felt in his arms. _What the hell am I doing here?_ He asked himself.

* * *

Hundreds of thousands of miles away, Cyborg lay under a computer console, mumbling curses under his breath at the recalcitrant machine. The device streamed cords and wires and components, the result of the bionic Titan's rushed modifications to try to give their communications the range and power to break through the Citadel jamming. Tamaran, despite being home to a star-faring race, was something of an anachronism in that their technology wasn't particularly advanced or common. Cyborg had been forced to salvage pieces of the comms system in the remaining pieces of the T-ship to modify the Tamaranean hypercomm he had found in the palace.

He hadn't slept since Earth. His human eye felt like it was getting sandpapered every time he blinked. A portable generator hummed nearby, keeping his battery from draining too fast, though without any real rest, he would only last another day or so.

None of that mattered.

This was the third day since Raven, Beast Boy, and Brand had been shot down, and the remaining Titans were nearly frantic with a need to know if they had survived. The situation had been urgent before, but now it was nearly apocalyptic, and there was even more reason to contact their friends and warn them about the danger that was on its way.

_If they're even alive_ , Cyborg thought, unable to stop himself. If they weren't...

He refused to look too closely at the possibility.

Footsteps sounded nearby, even and determined. The mere fact that he could hear the footfalls were indication enough of who it was. Most Tamaraneans would have floated in. So Cyborg wasn't surprised when he heard Robin speak. "The Citadel knew what it was doing," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "As soon as Darkfire attacked in the throne room, a signal went out to the troops on his transport. They killed or injured a lot of Starfire's guards."

"What does that mean for us?" Cyborg asked from under the console, not even pausing with his work.

There was the distinctive sound of Robin punching his own open palm. "More waiting while she gathers her soldiers," he answered. "I'm about to jump into the T-ship and go up to Jalascis alone."

The bionic Titan sympathized, but he knew that part of his role as second-in-command was to be the voice of reason at times like this. "Don't do it, man," he warned his masked leader. "We don't need a fourth person getting shot down."

"I just can't take this waiting!" Robin growled. Cyborg saw his booted feet pace back and forth from under the console, the only thing that he could see from his vantage point. The lead Titan paused and seemed to gather himself. "Besides... I don't know if Starfire should be involved in the counter-attack."

One of Cyborg's metal fingers flipped open at the second knuckle, revealing a small soldering iron. He used it to splice a few additional wires into place. "I know how you feel," the big Titan admitted. "It's her own kid brother, but... you really think you can stop her from defending her people?" Robin was silent, giving Cyborg time to connect the next few leads. To his own surprise, a panel on his forearm lit up, and his human eye widened. He had lost track of where he was in his modifications.

"It's done," he said quietly.

"What? I didn't hear that," Robin said, leaning down to poke his head under the console.

He pulled it back almost immediately, eyes narrowing in pain as Cyborg exclaimed "BOOYA!" The bionic Titan didn't have enough room to pump his fist, so he made up with it in sheer volume, almost deafening the boy wonder.

"It's finished!" he shouted, pushing himself out from under the console. "This should let us punch through the jamming and call the others." He stood up quickly, helping Robin connect his clam-shell communicator to the hypercomm system that would boost its signal. Robin took hold of the device hesitantly.

"Come on, man, what's wrong now?" Cyborg asked in irritation.

Robin looked sidelong at his friend. "I've been running on hope for the last two days," he admitted. "I convinced myself they were alive and waiting for us, but... if I was wrong... If it was an empty hope..."

"There's only one way to find out," the bionic Titan supplied. He understood what the younger man was saying, but the brooding was helping no one.

There was a moment of silence. "I don't know what I can say to explain myself," he said, his voice almost too low to hear. Despite his words, he flicked open the communicator, pausing for only a split-second before selecting Raven's portrait, calling the sorceress.

For a small eternity, there was no response. Neither Titan dared to breathe.

The face that filled the screen was not the face they were expecting. Brand's white-haired visage appeared on the communicator, obscured by lines of static. Predictably, the swordsman got in the first word. "Well, well, look who it is," he said, a tired grin lighting on his face. He seemed to be walking down a dark hall, small lights moving in and out of view as he strode past them.

"Brand?" Robin and Cyborg asked at the same time. "Why do you have Raven's communicator?" Robin continued. There was another breathless moment of anticipation, both Titans fearing the worst, jumping to the conclusion that the only reason Brand would have taken the device was if Raven herself was dead.

"Nice to see you, too," the Weapon answered irreverently, the smile fading.

Robin leaned closer to the camera, his patience already strained to the breaking point. "Are Raven and Beast Boy with you?" he asked, his tone hard, brooking none of Brand's usual sarcasm. "Are they all right?"

Brand seemed to sense the gravity of the lead Titan's words. "We're all a little banged up, but we're alive," he said. Quickly, he explained what had happened since Raven had gotten shot down over Jalascis up to their battle with the Citadel. Cyborg listened carefully, and, while he didn't think the Weapon was lying, he had the feeling that he was leaving things out, like how, exactly, they had managed to turn back the Citadel's army. He exchanged a glance at Robin and received one in turn. It was enough to know that Robin shared his suspicions.

"Are the others there with you?" Robin asked cautiously. It was apparent from Brand's darkening expression that the boy wonder had overplayed his hand.

"Go ahead and call Beast Boy if you want," the swordsman growled. "Once you've satisfied yourself that I haven't _murdered_ anyone, maybe you can stop interrogating me and tell me something useful. I'm on my way to talk to the lead Tamaranean here, Colonel Ph'yzzon, to figure out what we're going to do when the Citadel comes back."

Robin winced at the Weapon's tone. "Look... I'm sorry, Brand," he said. "We've been worried sick about you three. We've found out some things on our end, too. Starfire says that it's her brother, Darkfire, that's leading the Citadel's armies. He's on his way right now with the rest of his forces, and he can open the tomb and maybe even wake up X'hal. Do you think the garrison there can hold?"

Looking somewhat mollified by Robin's apology, Brand shook his head. "I don't see how," he said. "We were... lucky to drive them back the first time."

A long silence followed. Finally Robin spoke again. "Brand, listen to me carefully. I want you to take Raven and Beast Boy and get out of there as soon as you can."

This time it was Cyborg and Brand's turn to harmonize. "What?" they both asked, shocked at the boy wonder's announcement.

"I'm serious," Robin said harshly. "You three should never have ended up there to begin with. I don't want you putting yourselves in any more danger."

Brand's white-haired head turned away for a moment. "I wish it were that easy," he said at last. "Except... if the Tamaraneans are serious about this X'hal thing... where are we supposed to go that's safe?"

"We'll pick you up as soon as we can," Robin promised. "We'll find somewhere else to make our stand."

There was a static-filled snort from the other end of the communication. "Where? Earth? And how many die in the meantime? How much... pain?" Again, Cyborg sensed that there was something else behind the Weapon's words. "No, we have to stop them here."

Another pause. "Just once," Robin said, "I'd like to see you obey an order _just once_."

Brand smirked. "It'll be something for you to look forward to. Besides, I'm not a Titan. I don't take orders from you."

Robin sighed. "The Tamaraneans here are preparing a counter-attack on Jalascis, but we won't reach you for a few hours. You need to hold out until we get there."

"Got it," Brand said. His blue eyes seemed to lose focus, filled with some distant pain. "I think..." he paused. "I think I have an idea."

"What are you going to do?" Robin asked.

The smirk lit the Weapon's face again, but it seemed like a mask this time. An imitation of the genuine article. "No time to explain. Hurry up with those reinforcements." Before Robin could say anything else, the screen went black.

Neither Titan spoke for a moment. "That's... not the Brand that got shot down two days ago," Cyborg ventured at last. Robin nodded in agreement, lost in thought. "Do you think they can do it?" the bionic Titan asked.

Robin's masked face looked up at him. "They'll have to."

* * *

"Ph'yzzon," Brand said as he charged into the command center of the Tamaranean temple garrison of Jalascis, neither willing to submit to formalities nor caring about them. "What's the situation?"

The command room was as busy as it had been when he and Raven had first seen it yesterday, but now almost every single red-haired alien was injured in some way, crude bandages around arms or legs or heads. The night battle had not been kind to the Tamaraneans. _But it could have been worse for them, if it wasn't for Raven_ , Brand thought. The Citadel would have overrun the temple and gained access to the tomb that lay beneath it. _And then where would we be?_

The dark-skinned colonel of the garrison turned to the off-worlder swordsman as he came to a stop near where Ph'yzzon was discussing strategy with his lieutenants. Although it was a breach of protocol to barge into the command center and start asking questions, Ph'yzzon responded with patience and grace. "The Citadel forces have yet to advance," he said. "Though they are being bolstered by additional troops." He paused a moment before asking "And has Raven recovered?"

Brand chewed his bottom lip, staring out at the horizon, where dim engine trails could be seen in the lightening sky. "How many more troops?" he asked distractedly, ignoring the colonel's question.

"Too many," Ph'yzzon answered without hesitation, watching the off-worlder carefully.

"I've received word from the Titans up on Tamaran," Brand said, still looking out the window. "They're on their way with reinforcements, but they won't be here for a few hours. Is there any way we can hold out until then?"

Ph'yzzon raised his eyebrows in surprise, clearly wondering at how the Titans had managed to get any communications through the jamming, but not questioning the Weapon. "Indeed?" he said. "While I am pleased to hear that the home world is aware of our situation, I do not see how they could hope to break the siege before we are overrun. They may get here in time to stop the Citadel from gaining access to the tomb, but we would all be dead by that time."

Brand gave a pained smirk. "It's worse than that," he said. "The Citadel is being led by the brother of Starfire, who's calling himself Darkfire. Apparently, that means the tomb will open for them."

"Impossible!" The colonel exclaimed, his face darkening even more in his shock. "It must be some kind of deception!"

"Starfire herself was the one who identified him," Brand countered.

The big Tamaranean clenched his fists and looked away. "This is... unfortunate." He took a deep breath. "I am afraid that I will have to ask that Raven -"

" _No!_ " Brand said viciously. All work in the command center stopped at once, every red-maned head turning to look at him. Even Ph'yzzon drew back a few centimeters, surprised by the outburst. The Weapon didn't care. He raised one finger threateningly. "Raven is no longer part of your war," Brand said hotly. "And as for what happened last night, we had nothing to do with it, you understand? It was the power of your goddess, a divine miracle, whatever you have to say to convince your people... anything but the truth."

Ph'yzzon stepped closer, not intimidated by the human. "We know what we saw," he hissed. "And at this point the power that your Raven displayed may be the only thing that can save the men and women of this garrison, not to mention the entire Vegan system, the entire galaxy!"

The Weapon took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Then we may as well crack open the tomb right now and wake up X'hal ourselves," he said. "Because that 'power' is just as dangerous." He met the Tamaranean's green eyes with his blue ones. "She could kill us all." He reached back for the hilt of the T-sword, aware that every soldier in the room was watching him threaten their commander. "And I will not allow you to use her as a weapon."

A sigh escaped the big Tamaranean. "As you say," he allowed. "But I am open to suggestions."

"... I have one," Brand said after a moment, removing his hand from his sword and taking a step back. The troops in the command center slowly turned back to their work, seeing that the confrontation had passed. "Is it possible for us to contact Darkfire?"

"To what purpose?" Ph'yzzon asked, confused.

Brand smirked again. "I'm going to call him out. Me and him, one on one."

The colonel was still puzzled. "And then?" he asked. "How does this help us?"

"It buys us time," the Weapon explained impatiently. "It keeps you from having to sacrifice your men, keeps people from fighting and dying." His lip twitched. _It sounds so noble putting it like that_ , he thought. _But I don't care about the Tamaraneans so much as I don't want the war to affect Raven any more than it already has._

"How much time?" Ph'yzzon asked, unimpressed. "You are just one human. I am sorry, but you have no chance of victory, and only a small chance of providing enough time for reinforcements to arrive."

Brand's eyes flashed. "Don't underestimate me," he growled. "I'm no normal human. I'll last longer than you might think. Besides, that's why it _has_ to be me," he explained. "Darkfire wouldn't waste his time on a battle he thought could drag on long enough for Starfire to get here. But me? He'll think he can stomp me out in a minute."

The big Tamaranean was still unconvinced. "I believe your heart is in the right place, but this plan is... foolishness."

"What choice do we have?" Brand asked, his voice rising in frustration. "Even if he takes me down in five minutes, that's five minutes less that you have to fight." He hesitated. "Did you or did you not say that we were X'hal's answer to your prayers? Don't trust me, trust your goddess."

Ph'yzzon closed his eyes for a long moment. "Very well," he said at last. He turned to an adjutant. "Hail the Citadel leader." A beat passed. "Make sure it's a broadband transmission," he continued. "I have a feeling we want the rest of the Citadel listening." He looked to Brand, who nodded.

Several minutes later, a standing figure appeared at one end of the room, projected by some holographic array set in one of the consoles. Brand's eyes narrowed, taking in the features of the leader of the Citadel's armies. His skin was pale by Tamaranean standards, but the by-now-familiar red hair and green eyes seemed normal enough, though the hair seemed a bit ragged. Brand even thought he could see some similarities in facial structure to Starfire. He wore dark armor that made him look bigger, but did nothing to hide his surprisingly youthful features.

The young man spoke in Tamaranean, and – even without understanding the words – Brand could hear the contempt in those tones.

"This is not about our surrender, Ryand'r," Ph'yzzon said calmly in response to whatever Darkfire had said. The Citadel commander's face twisted in anger at the use of his Tamaranean name.

"By X'hal!" he shouted. "Has your culture been entirely infected by this disgusting Earthling language?"

The dark-skinned colonel was a rock standing against Darkfire's fury. "I use their language in deference to the one you will be speaking to."

Darkfire was not amused. "Is this why you contacted me? To waste my time?"

Moving forward in response to Ph'yzzon's gesture, Brand stepped into frame where Starfire's brother could presumably see him. He crafted his trademark smirk onto his face, hiding his own uncertainty under false bravado. "I would have thought you'd have a healthier respect for one of the off-worlders who chased your army away last night," he said in greeting.

"Ridiculous," Darkfire said dismissively. "I don't know what trickery you used in the battle, but I seriously doubt that _you_ had anything to do with defeating trained Citadel troops."

"Oh?" Brand asked, exaggerating his own innate anger at the scorn in the Tamaranean's voice. "Then why am I still standing and they're not?" He crossed his arms and laughed darkly. "I was there last night... I was fighting in the battle, taking down your... 'trained troops', which is more than I could say for you, you little punk. Where were you? Hiding? Waiting for your commanders to deliver the good news?"

The pale Tamaranean sneered at him. "Big words for a human armed with a _stick_ ," he said. "You dare to speak so to the leader of the greatest army in the Vegan system, you barely-evolved ape?"

The Weapon carefully concealed his grin. _Got him_ , he thought. For the benefit of whatever camera was recording his image, he uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists. "You're literally leading an army of gorillas and overgrown lizards," Brand growled. "But if you really think you're so much better than me, then come out here and prove it. Me and you. No armies, no holograms."

Laughter was Darkfire's only response.

This time it was Brand's turn to sneer. "That's what I thought. You're nothing but a coward." He shrugged. "I'm sure your army appreciates being led by a spineless wimp. I can understand why you don't want to duel, though... wouldn't do to have troops switching sides once they see which of us is the better fighter."

"You fool," Darkfire hissed. He looked to either side, and Brand had the feeling that he had just realized that this conversation was being broadcast to his entire army. The young Tamaranean drew himself up to his full height, visibly calming himself for his audience. "Have it your way. We will meet in front of the temple and settle this now."

"That's more like it," Brand said with a predatory grin. "Let's meet out there at noon."

Darkfire shook his head, eyes narrowing. "I said we will settle this _now_."

_Well that_ was _ambitious of me_ , Brand thought. "Two hours," he said aloud.

"You try my patience," the pale Tamaranean said, green eyes glaring over the holographic link.

Brand's lip twitched. "One hour," he said, feeling sweat break out on his forehead, hoping that it wouldn't show up in his image.

His opponent smirked. "Very well." The hologram faded, and the entire command center seemed to let out their collective held breath.

Ph'yzzon came up behind the Weapon, placing one big hand on the swordsman's shoulder. "You have your duel," he said. "I only hope we can make the best of the time that's been given to us."

Brand took a deep breath. "Yeah." _Me, too_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter marks the second of the long pauses in composition. The first - which I had forgotten to remark upon - was at the beginning of chapter six, "sancTuary". The second was here. The writing impulse comes and goes, but I'm usually only good for about 25k words at a stretch before I burn out and have to take a break.
> 
> The scene with Raven getting overwhelmed by the pain and fear of the battle was always a part of this arc (something similar happens in The New Teen Titans comics from the 1980's), but it also allowed me to solve a problem: Namely "how do they push back the Citadel army?" Combining the two elements solved the problem and added depth to Raven's emotional turmoil.
> 
> Not much to really say about the next scene except that it's the first time Brand's attraction to Raven has been stated so baldly. Notably, it's pretty much entirely one-sided. Raven is not interested in that kind of relationship, least of all with Brand.
> 
> Cyborg doesn't have a ton to do in this arc, but I gave him some scenes from his perspective to try and balance things out a little. It's always difficult finding new ways to get exposition across without just "telling", so I try to work these things out in conversations as much as possible.
> 
> Note Brand's phrasing in his conversations with Ph'yzzon when they're speaking of Raven. "I will not allow you to use her as a weapon." Possibly especially poignant coming from him.


	14. Citadel V: Duel

Her head was pounding and it spun as if she had just gotten off a carnival ride. Her mouth was dry, and her hands shook, but Raven was nothing if not a master of self-control. She shoved all the distractions and discomforts and confusion to the back of her mind. She had responsibilities. Her own comfort, even her own health, could and would be sacrificed for those duties.

And so she ignored all the warning signs her body was giving her, striding through the dim halls of Tamaran Base with her cloak billowing out behind her. Only those who knew her well would have been able to see the slightest sluggishness in those steps, the hint of uncertainty that marred her usual unthinking grace.

One such person followed along behind her, trying to get her to take it easy and rest, but ignoring Beast Boy was even easier than blocking out pain and discomfort for Raven. Long habit had made it so.

"You shouldn't be up yet," the youngest Titan said. "It's only been a few hours since you passed out."

In the silence of her mind, the sorceress seethed at the young swordsman who had been vexing her for months now. Brand's infatuation with her was bad enough – a problem that would need to be fixed, and soon – but this over-protectiveness was intolerable. Following her stricken ship down to Jalascis was foolish, but flattering... treating her like an invalid was insulting. Her cheeks darkened slightly, and she was grateful for the hood that covered her head, hiding her embarrassment. She remembered the Weapon's arms around her, the way he had so condescendingly put her back to bed, as if she were a child who needed taking care of.

"Seriously, Raven," Beast Boy said from behind her, nearly jogging to keep up with her long strides. "We didn't mean anything by it, we were just worried about you."

And then he had had the gall to send _Beast Boy_ down to keep an eye on her. Had even ordered the changeling to keep her in her room. So she had gotten shot down in Tamaranean space, so she had been injured by the Citadel armies... that didn't mean she was incapable of taking care of herself, of taking part in the defense of the temple. _He'll be the one bedridden once I'm done with him_ , Raven swore to herself.

"He said he'd be back to tell you what the colonel said, so you should just -"

She swept into the command room like a blue-cloaked storm. Heads turned at her approach, and she saw uncertainty, even fear in their eyes. The sorceress slowed fractionally. _I didn't realize I looked so angry_ , she thought, visibly calming herself, pulling her emotions back into the dark corners of her mind. Ph'yzzon was standing at the large windows that overlooked the temple courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, but he seemed to sense the Titans arrival and turned to face them.

The dark-skinned Tamaraneans mouth tightened as he spotted them. "Lady Raven... Beast Boy..." he said stiffly, inclining his head in a brief, respectful nod to the sorceress as she came to a halt in front of him, his large form blocking the window.

"I apologize for our intrusion, Colonel," Raven said, guessing that the soldier's tone and facial expression were signs of disapproval for their sudden entrance. "And for not getting here sooner," she added, hooded eyes searching the room for the white-haired swordsman, wondering where he was. _He was supposed to be talking to Ph'yzzon_ , she thought irritably.

"It is I who should apologize," Ph'yzzon said. "It was my carelessness that led to... your injury."

Raven waved away the apology. "It's nothing." In fact, she wished that everyone would stop making such a big deal of it. She had taken much worse in her time as a Titan. "My... associate was supposed to be here to ask about our situation."

The colonel's lip twisted downward slightly. "And he was. He is no longer here, as you can see."

"I know Brand can be a bit... brusque," Raven explained, misinterpreting the big man's tone and facial expression. "I should have come myself, but he insisted. I hope he didn't cause too much of a disruption."

"'A disruption'," Ph'yzzon repeated slowly. "One might say that."

The hair on the back of Raven's neck stood up, a sense of dread filling her. "What did he do?" she asked.

In answer, the colonel took a long step to his left, one arm rising to indicate the courtyard beyond the window, which was lit with the orange light of the rising sun. Wisps of morning fog drifted across the surface, refracting the sunlight. On the dark stones of the courtyard, Brand stood, a small but distinctive figure with his pale hair and black clothes. He was stretching, cracking his knuckles, affecting an air of boredom and routine. Across the way, just outside the jungle that encroached on the temple grounds, hundreds of Citadel soldiers had gathered, hooting and shouting. Brand ignored them.

"Oh, no," Raven said, the dread crystallizing into a ball of ice in the pit of her stomach. "What is he doing?"

Ph'yzzon took a deep breath, watching her closely. "Your friend has taken it upon himself to challenge the Citadel's leader – the Tamaranean Darkfire – to single combat."

"Alone?!" Beast Boy asked, sounding as stunned as Raven herself felt. Apparently, the Weapon had not shared his plan with the shape-shifter.

The dark-cloaked sorceress shook her head, staring out at the solitary figure in front of the temple. " _Why_?" she asked in utter disbelief. "Does he really think he can fight a Tamaranean and win? Is he that arrogant?"

"Perhaps," the colonel said, his tone thoughtful. "But he claimed to have heard from your friends on Tamaran. They will be arriving soon with reinforcements. Brand is only trying to buy time for them to reach us."

Reflexively, Raven slipped a hand beneath her cloak to where her communicator usually hung from her belt. Nothing. She remembered Brand's hand against her hip before she had fallen asleep. At the time, the sorceress had assumed he was just getting fresh, but he had been taking her communicator. And now he was putting himself on the line, alone, to protect Tamaran Base.

She felt ashamed, realizing that she had misjudged the Weapon on multiple levels, but she refused to forgive him completely. "We have to stop him," Raven said quietly. "He's the last one who should be out there."

"Brand was most convincing," Ph'yzzon explained. "And his plan is sound, in theory, but..."

Raven glanced at the big Tamaranean. "What is it?"

She saw sorrow in those green eyes. "It is likely that Brand will give up his life for nothing. The attempt is noble, but I do not believe he will survive long enough to provide the time we need."

Amethyst eyes moved back to the courtyard, where a figure in dark armor was floating out from the jungle, past the line of Citadel troops, to face Brand. She could imagine the ever-present smirk on the Weapon's face as he prepared to fight. _He has to know he can't win_ , she thought. She felt a trickle of pride and turned her head from side to side, refuting Ph'yzzon's words. "Don't underestimate a Titan, Colonel," she said.

Her tone was as flat as ever, but Beast Boy shot her a look as if she had just started singing a pop song. "Never expected to hear you call him that," he muttered.

Ph'yzzon gave a grunt of what might have been approval. Darkfire had reached the courtyard and set down across the way from Brand, looking dangerous and regal in his dark armor, red-hair streaming behind him. Human and Tamaranean faced each other, both in black. The big colonel turned to one of his staff members. "Activate the audio pickups," he commanded. There was a squeal of feedback before the sound was properly piped into the command center, and then...

"- got your cheerleaders back there to give you moral support," Brand was saying, cocky and carefree. The sounds of the Citadel army were a constant rumble in the background of the audio feed.

Darkfire's tone matched his name, furious but heavy as an overcast night. "And I see that your friends have abandoned you to meet your fate alone. Clearly they are more intelligent than you are."

Raven could see Brand's elaborate shrug from the command center. "No need to wake them up for this," he said. His voice was still light, but the sorceress was struck by the ambiguity of his statement. "I'm sure your boys need some rest, too," he continued, gesturing to the watching Citadel troops. "Running away must be exhausting."

"Did you call me out here to hurl pathetic insults or do you actually intend to fight at some point?" Darkfire asked, sounding bored.

The smirk on Brand's face was almost audible. "I can do both," he said.

"Then do so!" Darkfire charged, lifting off from the ground, arm drawn back for a battle-ending haymaker punch.

Raven tensed, wondering what Brand would do, if his enhanced speed was enough for him to counter or his enhanced durability enough to take a punch from a Tamaranean. Instead, Brand took a step backwards, hands raising palms-out in a worthless defensive gesture, and seemed to stumble, falling backwards onto his rear. Darkfire overshot his mark and skidded to a halt on the dark stones, turning to face his opponent, who had regained his feet, once again. The sorceress narrowed her eyes. _What was that?_ She asked herself.

Darkfire advanced again, slower this time, walking towards the Weapon, closing within striking distance before attempting to punch the swordsman. Brand leaned backwards, almost losing his balance again, but barely managing to dodge the blow. His arms wind-milled and the Tamaranean aimed a kick, but Brand lifted one foot off the ground in attempt to re-position himself, avoiding the kick by seeming accident.

"Stop playing and fight," Darkfire roared. He leaped back, lifting one arm. A red glow surrounded his hand for an instant before a starbolt fired across the gap. The Weapon dodged again, but just barely, stumbling out of the way almost clumsily.

Beast Boy made a noise of frustration. "What the heck is he doing?" the changeling asked. "He's faster than that."

Raven almost smiled. She remembered two days ago when Brand has let his module get shot up in order to trick the enemy into thinking he was dead so they would give up the search. "He's fighting smarter," she said. She recalled one of their many arguments... " _I remember everything you say, Raven,"_ he had said. And maybe he did.

"If that's fighting smart, then I should be leading the Titans," the emerald shape-shifter joked.

"He's buying time," Raven explained. "He's not fighting to win. He's not trying to _beat_ Darkfire. The longer he draws this out, the more time he gives Robin and the others to get here." Dimly, she was aware of Ph'yzzon moving away to consult with his troops.

Beast Boy considered that. "That is pretty smart," he admitted.

_But how long can he keep it up?_ The sorceress wondered.

* * *

Brand wasn't sure whether to be pleased or embarrassed about his performance so far. The bumbling start to the fight had actually been Ph'yzzon's idea, rather than his own. It stung the swordsman's pride, but he had to keep in mind that he wasn't battling Darkfire to win. He had to play for the others right now. For Raven.

And so he walked the tightrope between idiocy and brilliance. Avoiding the Tamaranean's attacks without looking as if he were intentionally doing so. He stumbled away from a starbolt, tripped past a kick, stopped to tighten the laces on one boot and slipped under a punch, all the while, hiding his true speed. It felt like moving in slow motion to the Weapon, but he wanted to keep an ace up his sleeve until it was needed.

A constant stream of invective escaped from Darkfire's lips, no doubt meant to insult the swordsman, but Brand couldn't understand any of the alien words that he heard. "Get serious, you human fool! Did you call me out here to dance or to fight?"

That one Brand understood.

"If you want to hit me, then hit me," the Weapon responded with a smirk.

But Darkfire didn't charge again, simply shook his head, red hair swaying from side to side. "Enough of this," he said. "Your ploy was obvious from the start, but I have no intention of playing along with your idiotic game. The attack will commence now."

_Not fair!_ Brand thought, gritting his teeth. Not even close to enough time had passed. The Tamaranean began to lift his arm in a signal to his waiting troops.

In the space between heartbeats, the Weapon was already moving, closing the gap between them almost instantly and slamming one closed fist into Darkfire's jaw before the alien could finish his gesture. The young Citadel commander flew several feet through the air before impacting the dark, rough stones of the courtyard, rolling for another few yards before coming to a halt. Brand couldn't help himself. He laughed darkly. "This is it," he said quietly, giving a feral grin to his opponent as the Tamaranean rose slowly to his feet. Playing possum was all well and good, but a straight up fight was more his speed. "First blood," he said, loud enough for Darkfire to hear him. His resolve to buy more time crumbled before the surge of adrenaline he felt, a thrill of excitement at fighting this new opponent for real. _Was this what you really wanted all along?_ He asked himself, and was dismayed to find he didn't have an answer.

To his credit, the Tamaranean gave him a hard-edged smile in return. "You were holding back," he acknowledged. "I trust this means that playtime is over."

"I'm just getting started," Brand said. He darted forward again, a flicker of black and red in the orange light. Another gloved fist shot out, but it impacted solidly into Darkfire's crossed arms. Blocked. Quick as thought, Brand dropped to sweep the young man's legs. Unfortunately, the move really was quicker than his thought: although his foot slid the Tamaranean's feet out from under him, the swordsman's opponent didn't fall, he simply floated, parallel to the ground. One of Darkfire's hands extended, glowing crimson. _Ah, dammit_ , Brand had time to think before the starbolt fired.

* * *

"That can't be good," Beast Boy said, hands and face pressed against the windows of the command center, watching the duel continue. Raven didn't respond, ignoring him as usual. She stood at the window, hands at her side, cold and calm. Only her eyes belied her anxiety, flicking back and forth in time with the reversals of the battle.

The changeling couldn't understand her apparent placidity. He himself had been nearly bouncing off the walls as the battle had continued, commentating on each move, imagining what he would do in Brand's place. In all humility, Beast Boy thought he would have been the better choice to fight Darkfire. After all, he had defeated Starfire's evil doppelgänger when Trigon had invaded. Not even a Tamaranean could survive a brontosaur to the backside.

He realized suddenly that he had narrated that last part out loud, and Raven was glaring at him. Beast Boy winced, knowing he had brought back painful memories for his friend. _And now of all times_ , he thought. He resolved to keep quiet from here on out, turning back to the window.

The starbolt had blasted apart one of the great stones of the courtyard, throwing up a huge cloud of dark dust, blocking both opponents from view. Only the red flickers of further starbolts could be seen in the smoky air. The Citadel army's cheers grew louder. Raven, looking out at the courtyard again, lifted one hand up to the window, and Beast Boy glanced at her. "I'm sure he'll be fine," he croaked, breaking his promise of only a minute earlier.

No answer. Not that he expected one.

In front of the temple, the smoke was clearing, blowing away in a sudden gust of wind from the west. Darkfire was floating five feet above the arena, imperious in his sable armor, hands glowing red. A last puff of smoke faded, and Brand was revealed, winded and bent over slightly, one sleeve burned off.

Both Titans in the control room let out a breath they hadn't known they were holding. "How long has it been?" Beast Boy asked, glancing around the room as if expecting to find an Earth-style clock hanging on the wall. Finding nothing, he turned back to the window. Several seconds passed, and his green eyes blinked. Then he looked into the command center again.

There was no one else there.

"Uh... Raven?" he asked. But the sorceress ignored him, violet eyes fixed on the battle.

* * *

Brand shook his right arm, as if the tingling, burning from the starbolt he had not quite avoided could be removed so easily. _Well I finally know how it feels when Starfire blasts someone with one of those_ , he thought. He was trying to be optimistic, but his smile had faded. It had been a narrower thing than anyone watching would have guessed dodging all the other plasma bursts.

"I am impressed," Darkfire said, lowering himself until he was floating just a few inches above the ground. "You don't seem to be a normal human."

"Don't be fooled," the Weapon said, summoning a sneer. "We're all like this."

The Tamaranean narrowed his green eyes. "All the more reason to eliminate your planet once we are done with the Vega system."

Brand lifted a finger and wagged it at his opponent. "You'll have to beat me first."

"Simple enough," Darkfire said, and charged, dust rising in his wake as he flew forward.

The swordsman grinned, slipping to one side, hand rising to draw the T-sword. Darkfire's momentum worked against him, making it difficult for the Tamaranean to switch direction, giving Brand enough time to pull the weapon free and strike the young alien's midsection with enough force to slam Darkfire into the ground, splintering the stone beneath them. The Citadel's leader let out a grunt of pain as he crashed into the surface of the courtyard. Brand didn't hesitate. He lashed out with a drop kick, catching the younger man in the stomach, sending him sailing across the ground. The Weapon followed, feet flying across the broken stones, T-sword raised for another blow.

Again, he had underestimated the Tamaranean's powers of flight. Darkfire stopped himself with a thought, dropping one hand to the ground to use it as a pivot to kick the swordsman. It was a glancing blow, but Brand stumbled, surprised at the force of the kick. He rolled across the ground until his back hit a wall at one end of the courtyard. The white-haired head lifted in time to see the growing red glow of a starbolt heading his way.

Raven couldn't see Brand from where she stood, but his cry of pain was clearly audible through the speakers in the command center. Her shoulders tensed and her heart seemed to stop beating in her chest. Another cloud of dust had risen, and Darkfire floated into it confidently. There was a bloody flash from within the smoke, a pained grunt, and Brand flew free of the cloud as if thrown, trailing smoke, the T-sword still gripped in one hand.

The Weapon lay without moving for an endless moment, wisps of steam rising from his tattered jacket, before he slowly, painfully rose to his hands and knees, coughing on dust. Darkfire approached unhurriedly, his shadow stretching long across Brand in the morning light.

"Come on, dude," Beast Boy said from beside the sorceress, practically standing in the window. "Get up and take this guy down!"

Darkfire reached Brand, who was still struggling to stand. There was no more banter from either of the fighters. The pale Tamaranean simply drew back one foot and kicked _hard_. The gruesome snap echoed through the command center, and Brand let out an agonized groan between grit teeth, falling to his face as his left arm bent the wrong way. _Oh, Azar_ , Raven thought, her mind flashing back to the Titans' medical scan of the Weapon; the dense, modified bones of the assassin... almost impossible to break. But whoever had enhanced Brand and his ilk had not taken alien strength into consideration.

"Oh, man!" the green changeling beside her gasped. "We've gotta' get out there or he'll be killed!"

Violet eyes closed. "We can't," she said firmly, the words sticking in her throat. "The minute we go out there, the challenge is void and the war starts again. We'd be wasting his sacrifice."

Beast Boy was livid. "So you're just going to let him die?!" He pressed closer, hands clenched into tight fists. "He's doing this for _you_ , Raven!"

_I know_ , she thought, setting her jaw, feeling the familiar guilt wash over her again. "Don't worry, Beast Boy," she said. "I'll help him... my way." The sorceress took a seat on the floor, crossing her legs and focusing her energy. "Azarath... Metrion...

_Zinthos."_

_With the last syllable she floated free of her corporeal body and passed through the window of the command center as if it weren't there. She hovered for a moment, taking in the situation with new awareness. Raven finally noticed that Tamaran Base had been emptied. She saw Beast Boy kneeling next to her abandoned body, trying to wake her up. Raven shook her head mentally, then turned her focus downward to where Brand knelt on the broken stones of the devastated temple courtyard. Darkfire was speaking again, but without the benefits of the audio pickups, she couldn't make out the words._

_The sorceress's spirit dived until it was in front of the Weapon. She hesitated, remembering the last time she had entered his mind, remembering the time she had entered Robin's mind. This was more similar to the latter than the former. Not an attempt to gather information or memories, but to fortify, to strengthen, to heal. She slipped into the swordsman's mind unnoticed._

_He was on fire with pain, a flame the same color as Darkfire's starbolts. Raven gasped as it consumed her, trying to shield herself from the intensity, but even as she entered the Weapon's mindscape, the fire was dying, extinguished by a fierce determination. Over everything, a massive digital display hung like a gibbous moon, counting the seconds and the minutes, timing the battle. She felt the Weapon's resolve. She saw what he saw and knew what he knew. Ph'yzzon's plan to abandon the temple was made clear, and Darkfire's true identity was revealed to her. Raven mourned for her friend Starfire, that the brother she had longed to re-unite with was the very enemy that could destroy them all._

_And behind all of this were the dark clouds of guilt in the swordsman's soul. The things that he had done, the blackest thoughts and memories. Foremost among them, Raven saw Brand's regret for trying to hurt her, how he hoped to find redemption... or punishment._

" _Brand," she called._

_Everything went white for a moment with the Weapon's shock. Walls and doors began to slam into place all around her, and she realized he was closing off all distractions, believing her voice to be a figment of his imagination. "Stop it, Brand, it's me," she said._

_She sensed his hesitation and continued. "You've got to let me in, you've got to let me help you. Let me share your pain." She had expected him to welcome her, to allow her entry into his mind, but instead a blast of fear overwhelmed the sorceress. Nauseatingly familiar flashes assaulted her; a Citadel army falling apart on all sides, red eyes, a cruel smile, but the glimpses were gone as soon as they appeared, leaving Raven dizzy and confused._

" _You've got to get out of here!" Brand shouted. The walls in his mind closed in around her, doors and windows closing and locking, keeping her at bay._

" _Don't be an idiot!" she cried out in his mind, but it was too late. The force of his will pushed her free and out of his skin. Only seconds had passed. In a blink, Raven returned to her own body._

She inhaled deeply, as if sighing in reverse.

"Raven!" Beast Boy cried. "Are you all right? What happened?"

The sorceress bit her lip. _Why did he push me away?_ She wondered. Her pale face turned to the changeling. "He won't let me help him," she said, her voice a rasp. "Brand is determined to finish this fight on his own."

* * *

Brand's arm felt as if had been dipped into a pool of lava, a pain more intense than any he could remember. It hung uselessly at his side as Darkfire lifted him by the collar. The T-sword had fallen from his nerveless fingers, rolling away across the uneven ground. The bitter taste of defeat filled his mouth, and his torso burned from the earlier starbolt. None of it compared to the sudden sense of desolation and isolation he felt after chasing that dream or vision of Raven away.

_It's for the best,_ he thought. _If it really was her, I can't take the chance the pain would overwhelm her again._

"All your talk, all your arrogance, and this is the best that you can give?" Darkfire asked, voice dripping with contempt. "Where is the power that defeated my army? Surrender, and show my troops who the true coward is."

Brand narrowed his pale blue eyes, lifting his one good hand and taking hold of the Tamaranean's armor,. He grinned brokenly and slammed his head into the pale young man's face. Darkfire screamed in pain and rage and let him go, stumbling backwards. The Weapon hit the ground like a sack of potatoes, the throbbing from his arm intensifying, the world going white around him. Blindly, he groped for the T-sword and found it.

Wracked with agony, the swordsman stood again, holding his weapon cross-wise in front of him. Darkfire pulled his hands away from the angry wound on his temple and glared at Brand, green eyes glowing with rage. "You should have just given up," the Tamaranean said.

"That would make it really easy for you, wouldn't it?" Brand responded, panting for breath. "If I just rolled over and let you beat me? Well too bad." He took one step forward, left arm still hanging limp, then another. "You're going to have put in the work, kid. You may win. You may kill me, but I'll make you fight for every centimeter." His voice had lowered to a hiss as he continued to advance.

There was something else other than rage in Darkfire's face now. Something like fear. Brand smirked, then darted forward, T-sword drawn over his shoulder.

Darkfire pulled back one fist and punched the Weapon before he could complete his attack, knuckles cracking against the swordsman's jaw. Brand went cartwheeling across the length of the courtyard, crashing into another stone wall, which crumbled on either side of him. The Tamaranean lifted off and extended both glowing hands to the center of the dust cloud. A massive starbolt fired from those limbs, blasting a crater into the courtyard.

Silence reigned. Even the watching Citadel troops had gone quiet.

The pale Tamaranean dropped to the ground and stepped to the lip of the crater, waiting for the smoke to clear. Something stirred in the ragged hole, and Darkfire recoiled. "Impossible!" Brand was still alive, twitching feebly, his one good arm reaching out to drag himself free from the rubble.

Teeth grinding in disbelief and superstitious fear, Darkfire extended his arm again, hand glowing crimson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't really have much to say about this chapter except that it's at this point I now realize one can't necessarily handle chapters the same way for fanfiction as one would in a novel. There's a big difference in a story where you can keep flipping to the next page, the next chapter, and one where you have to wait days or weeks before the next entry. Smaller, more limited chapters work in a book, but I'm not sure they work so well in fanfic. Cliffhangers lose their effectiveness.


	15. Citadel VI: Climax

Robin was standing on the landing platforms of the Tamaran royal palace again, staring up at the gray and green orb of Jalascis hanging in the sky, visible even though the sun – Vega – shone brightly across the horizon of both planet and moon. Cyborg worked furiously behind him, finishing his prep work to get the remaining T-ship modules ready for launch. The muster was almost finished, and the Titans could finally regroup and kick the Citadel back to their home world.

_I just hope Starfire is okay with this_ , Robin thought, still unsure about having his girlfriend fight yet another one of her siblings. He wished he could save her from having to bear that pain again. He hadn't even seen her since the muster had begun, had barely spoken to her since she had seen Darkfire's face. Even the Tamaranean princess could only take so much pain, so much heartache, before her sunny optimism would be tainted. And then what would happen to her? Would she revert back to the creature blinded by rage that had landed on Earth almost two years ago now? Or would she become jaded and cynical, living only for the moment? Only time would tell.

"Sir!" a voice called from behind him. The boy wonder turned to face the young Tamaranean soldier who floated towards him from the palace, wearing purple and silver armor not dissimilar to Starfire's own. "Our troops are now marshaled," the soldier reported, landing and striking the butt of his ceremonial halberd against the landing platform smartly.

"All right," Robin said, nodding at the alien. _At last_ , he thought. "We'll follow Starfire up to Jalascis at her signal."

The soldier looked puzzled. "Sir? What signal?"

Something cold wormed its way up the lead Titan's back. "I mean when Starfire gives the order to go," he clarified.

"I do not understand," the Tamaranean said. "The princess informed us that _you_ would be leading the counter-attack."

_Oh, no_ , Robin thought. "Where is she?" he asked aloud, harsher than he meant, grasping the alien's shoulders. But he already knew the answer.

"Princess Koriand'r left for Jalascis on her own some time ago."

* * *

Brand stretched out his right arm, working through the pain, grabbing a rough chunk of stone and pulling himself up another inch. Everything hurt. He was bruised and bloodied, his Weapon uniform hanging in tatters around him, the T-sword lost somewhere in the crater where he found himself. Sheer will kept him moving. _I've got to keep fighting_ , he growled mentally. _I can't let him win. I can't let her down._

But the fight was over. The swordsman could barely find the strength to stand, much less battle a foe so much more powerful than himself. Robin could've pulled it off. Even Saber might have been able to win, but Brand wasn't capable. He wasn't strong enough, he wasn't fast enough, he wasn't _good_ enough. That admission came hard, hurt him more than anything Darkfire had inflicted. His right fist clenched, and he looked up at his opponent, a snarl on his face.

The young Tamaranean stood, a starbolt glowing in one hand, prepared to fire again and end the Weapon's life along with their contest. Brand refused to look away. If he couldn't fight well, at least he would die well.

"First you, then the Vega system," Darkfire said, and let the starbolt go.

Everything went black in Brand's eyes, but there was no further pain, no flash of red. He blinked and realized a black shield had risen between him and the Tamaranean. The Weapon couldn't help himself. He laughed despite how much it hurt. _Raven_ , he thought, with a warmth of gratitude that surprised even him.

"That's enough, Darkfire," the half-demon's firm voice said from somewhere to Brand's left. "Your fight is with me now."

Through the haze of blackness, Brand watch the alien turn towards Raven. "Wrong," he said. "Now that the challenge is void, my fight is with _all_ of you." He raised an arm, signaling his troops. With a roar, the Citadel army surged forward, but, before they could advance more than twenty yards, clear Tamaranean cries rose from either side of the Citadel line. Ph'yzzon had not been idle. Using the duel as a distraction, he had moved his forces out of the temple to flank Darkfire's army. Now the attacking force was fighting a two-front battle in the jungle instead of a rout in the cleared area in front of the structure.

Darkfire spun toward the sound of battle, his body language revealing that he had realized how he had been out-maneuvered. Between the duel with Brand and now the Tamaranean pincer, it was possible, even likely, that he wouldn't be able to win before reinforcements arrived. He shot the Weapon a malevolent glance through the black shield, hands clenching into fists.

"He's gonna' go for the tomb!" Brand shouted as best he could, though his lungs burned and his voice was a hoarse gasp.

"He'll try," Raven said, and a huge block of stone lifted free of the temple and towards the Tamaranean. Darkfire threw a crimson starbolt like a fastball and the masonry exploded into tiny, sharp shards. The alien flew forward towards the temple entrance, but drew back before a green, spiked tail that warded the doors. Beast Boy had arrived, morphed into a stegosaurus.

Three-on-one should have been better odds, but the trio of off-worlders were all wounded, and Brand was still struggling to stand. Darkfire was confident. "You cannot stop me," he said. He set himself for another run at the door, prepared to charge straight through the emerald changeling. His feet lifted off from the ground, but he flailed as something attached itself to his leg.

Brand had at last scrambled free of the crater, ignoring the pain of his broken arm and bruised body to grab Darkfire's foot with his good hand. The Tamaranean looked down at him in shock. The Weapon, face bloody and swollen, still managed to smirk. "Why won't you die?!" the pale alien screamed. He lifted his other foot and slammed it into the swordsman's head. This time, Brand felt the pain, and when the world went black, it stayed that way.

* * *

Raven's rage rose redly within her, reacting to the vicious attack on Brand with an eagerness that surprised the sorceress. It was too close, too ready to respond, and she gasped, faltering in her planned counter-strike. With an effort, she locked the emotion back into its mental cage, but by then Darkfire had already moved passed her. The Tamaranean reached Beast Boy, the changeling shifting into the form of a lion to swipe with razor sharp claws, but the pale alien weaved past the savage creature, only meters away from the entrance to the temple.

A viridian starbolt exploded in front of Darkfire, stopping his advance cold. Raven saw the young Tamaranean's shoulders tense, and he turned slowly to face the newcomer to the battle. The sorceress followed his gaze to find Starfire floating above the broken courtyard, red hair whipping in the wind, hands and eyes glowing a wicked green.

As if drawn against his will, Darkfire floated up to meet his sister in the sky, temple and tomb forgotten. Raven shuddered, seeing the two siblings face off, sorrow rising to drown the last remnants of rage. She did not envy her friend the task of defeating her own brother, but the battle was Starfire's now. Raven had her own task.

* * *

"Brother," Starfire said sadly, greeting Darkfire as he flew up to match her altitude. She took in the pale young man's state with a glance: his armor was scuffed and scarred, and an angry red mark spread across his forehead, but he still looked fit and strong, and his eyes were filled with such hatred.

Darkfire shook his head in denial. "I have no siblings," he said. "I was sent away when I was only a child, left to grow up in the care of cruel strangers at the whim of a man too weak to protect his own family." The pale Tamaranean's fists clenched, glowing bloody red. "So do not count on any mercy from me, Koriand'r."

The Tamaranean princess leaned forward, needing to make him understand. "Father did what he did to protect you!" she insisted. "He had no choice! The Gordanians would have slaughtered you!"

"He failed," Darkfire said simply. "He failed us both." He drifted forward. "Myand'r couldn't protect you then, and he can't save you now!" Even as the last syllable left his mouth, Starfire's younger brother attacked.

* * *

They were coming in too fast, too steep, but Robin was pushing the envelope. Cyborg had seen this coming ever since the masked Titan had found out that Starfire had slipped away to battle Darkfire on her own. The boy wonder still blamed himself for Raven and the others being shot down and he would _not_ be responsible for his girlfriend coming to any harm because he was playing things safe.

And Cyborg couldn't blame him, so he followed the younger man down through the atmosphere, flames licking at both of their modules, pressing the heat shields to their limits. Coming in behind them, out of sight if not out of mind, were the gathered troops of Tamaran, following them to battle, not needing any vessels to travel through space.

Still, his breath was tight in his mechanical chest, held for the long moments of atmospheric re-entry. No one had more confidence in the T-ship than Cyborg did, but this trip had been nothing but a disaster since the beginning, and the dark-skinned Titan wasn't taking anything for granted.

At last, the two of them slowed enough that the flames around their ships died away, leaving only the burnt orange sky of Jalascis around them. The comms flickered back to life, twitchy from Cyborg's hasty re-installation after using them to power the transmitter on Tamaran. "Still with me?" Robin's voice crackled from the radio.

"All in one piece," Cyborg answered. "Re-entry was right on target: we'll be passing over the temple in a few minutes." They traveled in relative silence for a few short moments, still descending rapidly, but flying through calm air with no enemies in sight. The few Citadel ships they had seen on the way over from Tamaran to Jalascis were shattered hulks now, destroyed by the strength and weapons of the Tamaranean army. For a brief time, it was just them. The calm before the storm.

The temple was coming up fast when Robin spoke again. "Cyborg, take a look at what's happening out there." The bionic Titan punched in a few commands and was rewarded with a static-filled image of the are around Tamaran Base. He magnified the image several times, trying to get a clearer picture. "Do you see that?" Robin asked.

"Looks like some kind of dust-up out there. The battle is still going on, we're not too late!" Cyborg let out a sigh of relief.

"No," Robin insisted. " _Above_ that!"

Cyborg frowned, tracking his visual sensor upwards. Two colored streaks were swirling through the sky, throwing sparks of red and green, sometimes colliding, sometimes winding away from each other. "Is that...?"

"It's Starfire!" Robin shouted. "We have to help her!"

_This is no good_ , Cyborg thought in dismay. The masked Titan was over-compensating for what he perceived as his failure above Jalascis three days ago. Instead of the mission being paramount, Robin was swinging to the complete opposite end of the pendulum, deciding individuals mattered more than the bigger picture. The dark-skinned teen understood, especially in this case, when the younger man's girlfriend was in trouble, but they had to prioritize. "What are you going to do, Robin?" Cyborg asked. "Open fire with the module? You're as likely to hit Star as Darkfire."

Robin wasn't listening. "I can't just leave her," he insisted.

"Listen to yourself, man!" Cyborg shouted into the comms. "Isn't this exactly what Brand said when he followed Raven down?" There was no answer. Robin's module had slowed slightly, drifting off course as he began a descent towards the temple. "We have a job to do, and we can help her a hell of a lot more by sticking to your plan than by flying circles around her while she fights!" Still no answer. "Do you copy?" Cyborg asked.

A long moment passed. "I... copy," Robin acknowledged, module accelerating, rejoining Cyborg's as they streaked towards their true target.

* * *

The two Tamaraneans were far above the three Earthlings now, flaring and flashing like a fireworks display as they fought. Beast Boy hunched, preparing to transform into a hawk, or – no – a pterodactyl to join the fight. His stomach roiled and his body ached. He still wasn't recovered from the crash or from the battle in the night, but he couldn't let his friends down.

"Stop, Beast Boy," a calm voice said from the courtyard. Raven knelt at Brand's side, arranging the swordsman's broken body as best she could. She stood and lifted one hand, and a disk of dark energy formed under the Weapon to lift him clear of the ground,. "This is Starfire's fight," the half-demon continued, beginning to move towards the temple entrance. "You can't help her now."

Green eyes glanced up again, watching the colorful streaks of the two Tamaraneans. "I have to do something, Raven," he said. "I've been nothing but a load this entire trip. I'm not going to go hide under a blanket until the battle is over." He lowered his gaze to where Ph'yzzon's dwindling garrison fought off the Citadel army. "I'm gonna' go help them out," he said.

The sorceress stared at him for a moment, raising one eyebrow skeptically. "Can you handle it?" she asked.

Beast Boy grinned at her. She pretended not to care, but he knew Raven wasn't questioning his abilities or his bravery, only his health. "Trust me," he said, throwing her a thumbs-up. Ignoring his own pain and weariness, he shifted into the form of a wolf and ran towards the jungle towards the thickest of the fighting.

* * *

Darkfire had not been lying. He was showing her no mercy, and Starfire's nubile young body was the proof, bruised and burned from her younger brother's fists and energy bolts. He fought fiercely, viciously; slamming her with punches and kicks and streaks of crimson plasma. Starfire was on the defensive. She couldn't bring herself to attack the pale Tamaranean. All she could think of was her brother as he had once been: tiny and helpless and innocent.

How had things come to this?

"Please, Ryand'r, stop!" She pleaded, banking away from a trio of starbolts. "Why are you doing this? Why must we fight?"

The young Tamaranean leaned forward where he floated, snarling at her. "I already told you, Koriand'r! I will awaken X'hal, I will use her power to destroy our wretched planet!"

Starfire closed her eyes. "Do you hate our parents that much for what they did?"

"I hate _everything_ , Koriand'r," Darkfire answered venomously, and Starfire recoiled as if physically pained by the answer. "Tamaran, the Citadel, the Okaarans... I will wipe this star system clean and start anew." He charged forward once again.

One of Starfire's arms lifted to block another punch, but Darkfire's other palm pushed forward to her bare stomach, glowing with sanguine energy. She cried out as he let the starbolt go at point blank range and she fell through the orange sky of Jalascis, steam trailing from her limp body. She crashed through the canopy of the jungle, breaking branches and tree trunks as she descended, adding yet more pain to her brother's attack. More physical pain anyway. The psychological pain was already as intense as it could be. She landed in a heap in the loam of the jungle, and she took several moments to pull herself up.

She felt sick. " _I stand against you, against the light that you cast,"_ Darkfire had said before introducing herself to him in the throne room on Tamaran. Starfire realized now how apt that description was. Her brother had become a dark reflection of herself. Starfire had found love and light and friendship and happiness, but Darkfire had found nothing but hatred and nihilism. The Tamaranean princess remembered how she had been upon first arriving on Earth. How her rage at the Gordanians had twisted her, made her behave like a wild animal. Darkfire was what she could have become if she hadn't met the Titans.

_Oh, X'hal..._ she thought, tears brimming in her green-on-green eyes. _If only you had switched our places_. Starfire would have sacrificed her own happiness in an instant to spare her baby brother the pain he must have endured. She stared up at Darkfire, who hovered above the jungle, waiting for her to emerge. The thought of continuing their battle pained her. _Can I do this?_

"Well?" A sultry voice asked from behind her. "Are you going to give up or are you going to fight him for real?"

Starfire turned, jaw dropping, unable to believe her ears. "Blackfire?" she asked faintly.

It was her older sibling. Komand'r smiled slyly at her, tucking a lock of lustrously black hair behind one ear as she stepped from behind a tree. "Surprised to see me, Sister?" she asked. Her svelte figure was dressed in her chosen colors: Silver and a purple so dark it was almost black.

"What are you doing here?" Starfire asked, unable to believe her eyes. Her sister had been banished from Tamaran months ago after a palace coup and a failed attempt at marrying Koriand'r off to an alien warlord.

Blackfire stepped forward, hips swiveling with unconscious sensuality. "This is family business, Kori," she said. "I heard rumors about the Citadel, about who was leading them." She nodded up at Darkfire. "I had to see it for myself." Her lip quirked in a hard smile. "They want to destroy Tamaran, but I'm not quite ready to give up on ruling her yet." Her face, so similar to Starfire's own, turned to stare at her, violet eyes flashing. "But I don't understand what you're doing. Why haven't you beaten him yet?"

"I... cannot," Starfire admitted.

"You can," Blackfire said firmly. "If you can defeat me, you can defeat him."

The Titan shook her head. "You do not understand," she insisted, lowering her gaze to the ground. "I cannot hurt him. I cannot bring myself to harm our brother."

"But you can harm me?" Blackfire countered, anger growing in her voice. She grabbed her sister's shoulders with both hands. Starfire looked up guiltily. "Have _I_ ever threatened to destroy a star system, Starfire? Don't be a hypocrite. _Fight_ him." She gave a sarcastic smirk. "You're a Titan, aren't you?"

Starfire slipped free of Blackfire's grasp and nodded, saddened but filled with a new conviction. "You are right. He is just another criminal," she said. "And like any other criminal, I will... 'take him down'." She looked up again to where Darkfire was still scanning the jungle, then at Komand'r. She hesitated. "Together?" she asked. "As you said... this is family business."

The dark-haired Tamaranean looked surprised. She covered her shock with a shrug, as if she didn't care either way. "Why not?"

With green and purple flashes, the two sisters burst free of the jungle canopy in a storm of leaves, streaking towards Darkfire.

* * *

Alien battle cries and screams of pain surrounded Robin. The Citadel had not been expecting an attack on their dropships, most of their forces committed to the battle at Tamaran Base. The masked Titan took advantage of their surprise, Cyborg at his side, his platoon of Tamaranean soldiers at his back. Half of their troops had gone to bolster Colonel Ph'yzzon's forces, the other half had joined the two Titans in their counter-attack.

But the point of this strike wasn't just to cause damage. It wasn't just another blow in a war of attrition. Robin had a plan. He had chosen which craft he had attacked with a purpose in mind. With two fingers, he gestured for the Tamaraneans to check one corridor in the enemy ship while he and Cyborg went down the other. They met minimal resistance in the dim, narrow halls, feet clanking across the metallic floors.

Robin saw a flash of movement through an open portal at the end of the corridor. "That's him," he said tightly. He pulled free a flash-bang from his utility belt and stood to one side of the doorway, Cyborg taking up backstop position, sonic cannon raised to cover him. The masked Titan nodded at his friend, and the half-machine nodded back. Robin threw the flash-bang into the room and looked away, hiding his eyes. The explosive went off, filling that section of the ship with blinding light while sparing whatever was within from any permanent damage.

An alien hiss of surprise and pain came from the other side of the door.

Cyborg went in first, his mechanical eye already recovered from the blinding flare of the flash-bang. By the time Robin followed, his friend had the lizard-like alien in a full-nelson (or full-Cyborg as he insisted on calling it) hold. The bionic Titan grinned at his friend. "Booya," he said calmly.

The Psion in Cyborg's arms twisted and squirmed, hissing in an alien language. Robin stared at the creature, remembering Darkfire's reaction when the boy wonder had thrown an explosive at the alien. It was the first time the Tamaranean's veneer of superiority had cracked. He had screamed in fear and abandoned his confrontation with Starfire to rescue the Psion. Robin also remembered the alien using some device to get Darkfire to speak English. The implication was that the lizard alien could somehow alter the Tamaranean's mind.

It didn't take training from the world's greatest detective to realize the truth: Darkfire didn't lead the Citadel. The Psion did. The young Tamaranean was just a puppet, a figurehead, a tool, and the alien the two Titans had just captured was the real power behind the throne.

Robin leaned forward, pressing into the Psion's personal space. "I know you can understand me," he said. "So don't bother denying it." The alien stopped struggling and just stared at him coldly, snake-like. "Your armies are being defeated. Your champion is delayed, fighting his sister. The tomb is out of your reach." The Titans' leader gave a hard-edged smile to the Psion. "So you have a choice: We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

* * *

The battle had turned against Darkfire. Attacked on both sides, he was unable to regain the upper hand and now he floated above the courtyard of the temple once again, armor broken, body bruised. He glared at his sisters malevolently. The two had worked in tandem to fight him, stringing together their attacks, striking with fists and starbolts and blasts of energy from their eyes, never allowing him a moment to focus on either one of them exclusively and rid them of the advantage of numbers. He had never expected to see Blackfire again, much less expected to find her helping the sister who had become her greatest rival.

But then, he hadn't expected a mere Earthling to challenge him to single combat, or to be blocked at every turn by Teen Titans, or the have his army out-maneuvered on the field of battle. Nothing had gone right, and now, his hopes of destroying the Vega system and erasing the source of his pain was out of his reach.

All he had left was his anger.

Darkfire drew himself up, determined to inflict as much damage as he could before he was defeated. He charged forward in a streak of red towards Blackfire, but she ducked under his punch and grabbed his arm. She began spinning rapidly, maintaining her hold on him. The world flashed by, quicker and quicker, the only constant his view of Blackfire's hard violet gaze. He tried to pull himself free, but the older of his two siblings was too strong. He roared impotently in his rage, and Komand'r smiled briefly before letting him go.

The young Tamaranean sailed through the air, too dizzy to know where to focus his power of flight. He saw a glimmer of emerald fire and realized he was flying straight towards Starfire. He tried to slow his flight, but it was too late. Koriand'r lifted both hands, linked in a sledgehammer blow, to slam him down.

He felt the pain of the impact, felt it doubled when he crashed into the ground.

Everything seemed shattered within him, mind and body. Tamaran hung overhead, a faint pearl in the Jalascis morning. Darkfire lifted one hand towards his home planet, as if attempting to grasp it from where he lay on the dirt, to crush it with his bare hand as he could not do with X'hal's.

A shadow passed over him, and a figure blotted out his view of Tamaran. Blackfire. She reached down to lift her baby brother up by the collar of his armor, holding him above the ground as if he weighed nothing. Darkfire's head lolled back, and he struggled to focus his power, desperate to throw one more starbolt, but there was a buzzing in his head, growing louder and louder and _louder_. Then it stopped.

And Darkfire let out a howl of agony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I considered combining this with the previous chapter, "Duel", but I decided instead to go with posting them separately. One interesting thing to note about this chapter is that I believe this is one of the only chapters with viewpoint shifts to every single one of the Titans at least once.
> 
> Robin's first section at the beginning of the chapter was originally in "Duel", but it kind of spoils the surprise of Starfire's appearance. The trade-off is that the entirety of "Duel" took place on Jalascis.
> 
> The concept of Brand fighting the leader of the enemy forces was an old one, but I always felt it would have been... "Gary Stu" to have him win, especially against a Tamaranean. So it didn't take long for me to determine that Brand would get beaten, and beaten pretty badly. He tries to be a hero and fails, and is therefore out of the action for the finale.
> 
> There's a little alliteration at the beginning of the Raven segment. Completely meaningless, even distracting, but sometimes I feel the need to do something like this and pretend I know stuff about writing.
> 
> I do like the parallelism of having Robin almost peel off to try and save Starfire the same way Brand and Beast Boy did for Raven in "Separation". It also gives Cyborg a little something to do by having him keep Robin in line.
> 
> Again, I try and throw Beast Boy these metaphorical bones. He's not just some goofy kid, he is a superhero, and - it's important to remember - one with a pedigree second only to Robin (by which I mean Beast Boy's association with a genuine superhero team, The Doom Patrol). He wouldn't just disappear for the last act, he'd find some way to help out.
> 
> Starfire finally re-enters the picture and has (hopefully) a strong physical and mental/emotional confrontation here near the end. Some of the concepts, like Darkfire being a mirror image of Starfire came into being as I was writing, but I like the idea. I also get Blackfire in to get a real family reunion going.


	16. Citadel VII: Denouement

**Denouement** \- the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear.

* * *

Ryand'r's scream went on and on. He lifted his hands to his head as if to stop it from bursting, green eyes squeezed shut. Blackfire leaned back from the sound, but maintained her hold on the younger Tamaranean. Starfire rushed over, stomachs churning to see the pain that her brother was in. _Are we the cause of this?_ She asked herself guiltily.

Even as she approached, the scream stopped and Darkfire went limp in Komand'r's grasp. He was still breathing, but drool trickled from his open mouth and his eyes were blank and staring.

"What... what has happened?" Starfire asked her sister. Her heart broke seeing the young man in such a state.

Blackfire stared at their brother, lips set in a grim line. "We won," she said simply.

The Titan shook her head. "Only the battle, but the war is still being fought," she said, indicating the intensifying cries and the sounds of weapons coming from the jungle that surrounded Tamaran Base.

Purple eyes shot Starfire an inscrutable glance, and Blackfire's mouth curled in a smile. "I'll handle it," she said. Her feet lifted clear of the ground and she moved towards where the two armies still fought, the limp figure of Darkfire still held in one hand. Starfire followed, wondering what her sister would do. The elder of the two sisters floated thirty feet above the carnage for several moments, until soldiers on both sides began to notice, calling out to their fellows. The Tamaraneans were surprised to see their exiled elder princess, the Citadel soldiers just as shocked to see their leader's unconscious body in the hands of another.

"Armies of the Citadel!" Blackfire began in a loud voice. She repeated the call twice more, until the fighting stopped on both sides. "Lay down your arms!" the dark-haired Tamaranean said. "This is not your day of conquest! Your leader has been defeated..." Komand'r gave her sister a cunning look, a hard smile. "By me! Behold your champion!"

She dropped Darkfire. Starfire gasped and rushed forward to catch the plummeting young man right before he hit the ground, too stunned to even call her sister out on her lie. They had defeated Darkfire together! _What is she doing?_ Koriand'r wondered. But deep down, she knew. She supposed she had known all along.

Komand'r was still exhorting her audience of Citadelians and Gordanians. "Will you still follow the boy who has led you to ruin?" She called. "Or will you follow another? One who has proven herself a victor?" The Citadel armies cheered and cheered, taking up the chant of "Blackfire! Blackfire! Blackfire!" The dark-haired Tamaranean grinned fiercely, proudly, and raised her fist in triumph.

"This battle is over!" she announced. "But new conquests and new victories await us!" The armies of the Citadel turned and moved off, returning to their ships, and the exhausted Tamaranean forces let them go, unwilling and – in many cases – unable to pursue and continue the war.

Starfire watched her sister descend, the black-haired Tamaranean still smiling, touching down only feet away. "Why, Sister?" the Titan asked, cradling the slack figure of Ryand'r.

"Because today changed nothing, Starfire," Komand'r answered, staring at the backs of her new army as they retreated through the jungle. "The contest between us hasn't ended." Blackfire turned, violet eyes flashing dangerously. "You stole my victory on Tamaran, so it is only fair I claim your victory over the Citadel. And our battle continues."

There was something in her voice or in her eyes that gave Starfire pause. Blackfire claimed nothing had changed, but the Titan sensed something under the same veneer of cruelty and viciousness she had learned to associate with her sister. All at once she understood. Their rivalry, their chosen sides on the arbitrary line between good and evil, their different goals and morals... none of that could change the fact that they were family. And if this relationship – this poisonous, destructive conflict they found themselves in – was all they would ever have, well...

At least that was something.

Starfire's heart broke all over again. She closed her eyes, wishing that there was some way to fix her family. But when she looked again at Blackfire, her gaze was hard and determined. "And I will always be there to stop you, Sister," the Titan said.

Something passed over the elder Tamaranean's face. A moment of recognition, of acknowledgment. Blackfire smirked, nodded, then arced away after her army in a flash of violet plasma.

Starfire lowered her head and wept over the listless body of her brother.

* * *

He had awoken to a sharp, stabbing, incredible pain in his left arm, gasping for breath and flailing for his sword with his good arm. In his mind, he was still fighting, still trying to stop Darkfire, and it took a minute before Brand became aware that it was Raven leaning over him and not the Tamaranean. She had brought him back to the room she herself had recovered in and bound his wounds. The pain he had felt was from her setting his broken arm. Slowly, his heartbeat returned to normal, and she wrapped the limb against the splint she had fashioned. Every movement brought pain, but the Weapon's attention was focused on the soft touch of the sorceress's fingers against him, watching her work.

They didn't speak until she was almost finished.

"You saved me," Brand said at last, glancing up at her face, so familiar now.

"Someone had to," she responded, not looking at him. "You need to learn how to dodge." A brief silence. "What you did was incredibly..."

"Stupid?" Brand finished for her.

"Brave," she corrected him. Another pause. "And stupid. I'm not sure what put it in your head that you could stand up to a Tamaranean on your own. Have you even _met_ Starfire?"

The Weapon shrugged and instantly regretted it as he felt a flare of pain. He looked away, wanting to explain his reasons, to tell her why it had been so important that he fight alone to spare her the burden of fighting and absorbing the emotional anguish of a war, but he couldn't find the words. "I... appreciate you doing this," he said instead.

Her head lowered, ostensibly focusing more intently on her task of tending to his wounds, but he wondered if she was hiding a blush. "This should teach you a lesson," she said. "Karmic justice for you being so over-protective this whole time."

Now it was his turn to flush. "I didn't mean to -"

"But you did," she cut him off. "I know you still feel like you need to atone for the acts you committed as a Weapon. Maybe you do, but not with me. Pay it forward, Brand."

He felt the faint stirrings of anger. "I don't get the rules of this game," he said hotly. "Compassion and mercy, right? But not for you?"

Now Raven looked up, glaring at him. She spoke clearly, enunciating each word. "I don't need your help."

"So you keep saying," Brand growled, glaring back.

The sorceress shook her head. "Enough of this," she said. "Relax and let me heal you." She lifted her hands, which already glowed with dark energy.

"No," Brand said, drawing back and looking away from the half-demon. "You don't want my help? Fine, I don't need yours, either. I'll heal up fine on my own."

Raven rolled her amethyst eyes. "Real mature." Brand didn't respond. "I'm serious," she continued. "You'll recover faster if I use my powers."

"I'm sure I would," he said. "The answer is still no."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" the dark-haired Titan asked, setting her jaw in frustration.

Brand shot her another glare, fire and ice in his eyes. "You think I don't know, Raven?" he asked. She started guiltily at his words. "You don't just heal wounds. You take pain." She seemed to relax, but he wasn't done. "Well you're not taking mine. I'll keep it."

"So which one is this?" Raven asked. "Is this you being over-protective or is it you punishing yourself? Because I could've sworn we _just_ talked about both of these things."

The Weapon shrugged. "I could ask the same thing of you. I think you have enough going on without taking on other people's burdens, other people's pain. Are you punishing yourself or being over-protective?"

Raven stared at him. "This is ridiculous. There's something broken in your head that needs to be fixed, too," she said.

"Maybe," Brand said, smirking through his discomfort. "But I'm not going to let you poke around up there more than you already have."

"You're so infuriating," the half-demon said with a sigh, standing up. "Fine, enjoy your broken arm, and I'll..." she trailed off, looking away, through the walls of the temple to where the other Titans were.

Brand levered himself up on the bed as best he could, anguish throbbing in every part of his body. "Raven? What is it?"

The sorceress let out a long breath. "The fighting's stopped," she said. "The battle is over." She turned away, preparing to leave, to help where she was needed and to heal those who were willing to be healed. The Weapon reached across his body with his one good hand, hesitating briefly before taking hold of Raven's wrist.

"Is it?" he asked, looking up at her. He wasn't speaking about the war outside. He was asking about their own battle. The one they had been fighting on-and-off since they had met.

This time he did see her blush. Raven pulled up her hood with her free hand and tugged away from his grip. Gently.

"For now, Brand." And then she was gone.

* * *

The day passed, Vega arcing across the sky slowly as the hours went by. The wounded Tamaraneans were brought back to the temple and treated while the Citadel armies lifted off led by Blackfire – their new commander. Colonel Ph'yzzon entered Tamaran Base to great fanfare, rightly hailed as one of the great heroes of the day, and the taciturn colonel was, in turn, surprisingly effusive in his praise for the three off-worlders who had helped him fend off their enemies, giving special recognition to Beast Boy, who he said had saved his life in the final battle. Robin and Cyborg returned from their own mission at the helm of a prize vessel they had taken from the Citadel; big enough to take the six of them – the five Titans and Brand – back to Earth. Galfore, sufficiently recovered from the injuries inflicted by Darkfire, crossed the void from Tamaran to oversee the aftermath of the brief war.

All the while, Starfire had waited for the Tamaranean medics to examine Ryand'r, to find out what was wrong with him and fix it if they could. When word came that her brother was conscious and would recover, she sobbed in joy and went to visit him. Robin waited outside the door to the medical ward for her, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, staring at nothing. Galfore and Ph'yzzon waited with him.

Kori was quiet when left the room, introspective. "He is like a child," she explained to the waiting trio. "It is as if he has forgotten all that happened to him since the day my father sent him away."

"I'm sorry, Star," Robin said, taking her hand in his. He felt somewhat responsible. It was he who had forced the Psion puppet-master to release Darkfire from his control. The masked Titan hadn't known what, exactly, that would entail, or how it would affect the young Tamaranean.

She squeezed his hand, a faint smile on her face. "Do not be," she said. "While I am saddened that so much of his life has been taken from him, I feel that the memories he lost are ones he is better off without." She looked over her shoulder at where Galfore stood, the massive man blocking most of the corridor. "Hopefully, his new life will be a much kinder one."

The giant, bearded Tamaranean nodded. "I will see to it, Princess," he said. "Ryand'r left us before I took over as his k'norfka, and I have no son of my own. Perhaps this will be a second chance for both of us. I will watch over him for you."

Ph'yzzon stepped forward. "And Tamaran, too, will be in safe hands, Princess Koriand'r," he said quietly. "I swear to X'hal, I will protect it - and her - with my life."

Starfire released Robin's hand and turned to face the Tamaranean soldier. "I know you will serve us well... _General_ Ph'yzzon," she said. Robin couldn't help but smile as the stoic soldier actually blushed, his already-dark skin going even darker. The man went down on one knee before the young ruler.

"Thank you, Princess," he said. Starfire smiled at him and Galfore, a more genuine smile this time. Then she turned back to Robin, took his hand again, and they walked down the dim halls of the temple together, leaving Starfire's past – and Tamaran's future – behind.

All around them, as they passed room after room in the labyrinthine structure, they heard the sounds of activity: Repairs and medical treatment, orders being shouted and accepted, dozens of conversations. The two of them walked in a bubble of silence, however, an island of calm in rough seas. Starfire leaned her head down to rest it on Robin's shoulder, and he turned to kiss the crown of her red-haired head.

"It feels like forever since we had a moment alone together," he murmured, lips brushing her hair.

Starfire nodded. "You have been neglecting 'the date night'," she said playfully.

The boy wonder chuckled. "When we get back, we'll make the time," he promised. "Maybe we need to take another vacation."

"Tokyo again?" the Tamaranean Titan asked excitedly. Robin grinned.

"Anywhere you want."

He felt, rather than heard her happy sigh. "I cannot wait," she said. "Are we ready to go home yet?"

The masked Titan's smile faded. "Not yet," he answered. "There's still a few things to take care of."

* * *

"... so you know those Citadel creeps look like big, fat apes, right? Well I turned into a gorilla and showed them how it's done! Tossed them away like trash! And who do I find under the pile but Colonel Crabby himself. Well he was happy to see me, and we start fighting side-by-side. I gotta' tell ya', the guy's a block of wood, but he can fight like nobody's business."

Beast Boy paused in his narration, which had been going on for about ten minutes now with barely a stop for breath, to guzzle some water. "I hear they're making him a general," Cyborg interjected, finally finding a space to get a word in edge-wise. The two of them were in yet another one of the temple's living quarters, Cyborg sitting in a chair and Beast Boy reclining on a cot. Every once in a while, a Tamaranean soldier or two would walk by, but no one disturbed them.

"Oh yeah?" the changeling asked. "Well the guy deserves it. Darkfire only bothered to fight Brand because he thought the temple was manned by an army of Tamaraneans, but Ph'yzzon got his troops out of there without anyone noticing a thing. The bad guy was fighting the whole time without even realizing that the tomb was basically unguarded." He hesitated again. "Where was I?"

Cyborg gave his friend a rueful half-smile. "You were at the part that I've already heard twice already."

"Whoops," Beast Boy said with shamefaced grin. "Sorry, dude, I got kinda' caught up in the story."

"You'll have plenty of time to tell a couple more rounds of it when we're on our way back home," the bigger Titan said. He flipped open a panel and looked at one of the displays. "Speaking of, I have to give that crate we're flying back in another once-over. What'd you guys have to go and crash your modules for, anyway?"

The green-skinned shapeshifter shrugged. "Send a bill to the Citadel. Better yet, send a bill to Blackfire."

Cyborg rolled his human eye. "I'm sure that'll work," he said sarcastically. He stood up and stretched, making for the exit.

"Hey, if you see any Tamaranean girls out there who don't know English yet, send 'em my way, will ya'?" Beast Boy called to the bionic Titan as he left. Cyborg raised one mechanical arm in a wave goodbye, and the changeling grinned. He had missed the dark-skinned Titan, his best friend.

His pointed green ears twitched as he caught faint voices outside his door: Cyborg and one other person. Beast Boy's smile faded, and he lay back and deliberately crossed his arms behind his head, staring at the stone ceiling. A few moments later, Robin entered the room.

The lead Titan took the seat that Cyborg had been using slowly, almost gingerly, as if it were lined with eggs he might break if he weren't careful. Neither of them said anything for an uncomfortable minute.

"How are you holding up, Beast Boy?" Robin asked.

The changeling didn't look at him. "I've been better," he said coldly, no sense of good humor in his tone now.

Another silence. "Well I've been hearing good reports," the boy wonder said at last. "Ph'yzzon can't say enough positive things about you." A non-committal grunt was his only reply. Robin sighed, leaning heavily on his knees. "Look, Raven told me that you weren't too happy with me. Tell me what's wrong."

Beast Boy felt a surge of emotion; anger and disappointment, and he bit his lip to try to keep it from showing. "What's _wrong_?" he repeated, turning to glare at the lead Titan. "What's wrong is that half of our team got shot down over some hellhole planet, and you did _nothing_ about it!" Robin winced in his seat. "I almost _died_ that day. And I would have bought it if it weren't for Raven and Brand patching me up." The younger teen shook his head. "Think about that for a minute. _Brand_ saved me. You didn't."

"I'm sorry, Garfield," Robin said quietly.

The changeling wasn't satisfied with the apology. He snorted derisively, looking back up at the ceiling. "If I wanted a leader that would leave me to die, I would've stuck with the Doom Patrol," he said. "I always thought you were better than that, Dick, but here I am, stuck with Mento II: The Revenge."

Again, the two of them were silent. Beast Boy felt guilty, and angry about feeling guilty. He hadn't done anything wrong, Robin had.

It took a long time for the masked Titan to find the words he said next. "I had my own Mento growing up," Robin said at last. "Batman taught me a lot. Taught me how to fight, how to move, how to be a detective..." This time it was Robin who looked away. "Taught me to be obsessive. He taught me how to think." Beast Boy stared at the older Titan, unused to hearing him be so frank about his past with the legendary hero.

"I never realized... how deep his lessons ran," Robin continued after a moment. "But the day you guys got shot down, I heard his voice in my head, reminding me I had a job to do, that I couldn't turn back, couldn't turn away." The boy wonder sighed. "And you know something, Beast Boy?" The changeling didn't answer. "Batman was wrong."

The green-skinned boy's jaw dropped upon hearing that.

" _I_ was wrong," Robin continued. "Because there are things more important than the mission. And I know better." He stood, looking down at his young friend. "I let you and the others down. I'm going to do my best not to do it again." The masked Titan extended his hand

Beast Boy hesitated, almost unwilling to give up the moral high ground, but Robin was just so... earnest that he didn't have the heart for it. The shapeshifter took the proffered hand and let Robin help him off the cot. "I'll hold you to that," Beast Boy said with a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Kind of a lot to unpack here... for starters, "Denouement" in general - and the first section from Starfire's POV in particular - were in some ways the kernel of what would grow into the Citadel arc. Specifically, the scene with Blackfire was the original conception for this chapter, back when I was considering her to be the primary antagonist of the arc. Obviously that changed, but I loved that moment with the not-reconciliation so much that it survived into the current incarnation. In some ways, the scene is a microcosm of the philosophy of "The Edge Between" in its entirety: taking the sweet with the sour, the good with the bad, and dealing with the defeats in the victories.
> 
> The next scene doesn't really need much commentary, except to note the inching forward of the interactions between Raven and Brand. More sweetness in the sour, as it were. I will tell you that there is a line in this section that's actually very important. It's not underlined or emphasized in any way, but something is said that means much more than it appears. All will be revealed later.
> 
> The Robin/Starfire scene here was created because I don't feel like I focus on their relationship enough. Like... it's there, but I was giving it short shrift. This section is short, but I like the sweetness of it, the happy Starfire and Robin-as-boyfriend.
> 
> Finally, possibly (strangely) my favorite scene of this chapter. Obviously, Citadel is not Beast Boy's arc. He's had fairly little POV time and spent a good portion of it wounded, but I had to resolve what he said in "Face to Face" and this was the place to do it. This scene accomplishes two things: It grows Beast Boy as a character, and it also edges Robin closer to the inevitable break with Batman.
> 
> Alrighty, Citadel is over. Next we have another Interlude chapter... "Terra (Firma)". Hope you continue reading and enjoying and thanks in advance for your reviews (which I'm sure you're definitely going to write).


	17. Interlude II: Terra (Firma)

" _Nice collection."_

" _You like it? I got the first when I learned how to kill and the second when I actually did. I got the third when they taught me not to. I got the fourth when I found out what I was."_

* * *

The vessel that Robin and Cyborg had taken from the Citadel forces was bigger than the T-ship, with a handful of tiny living quarters, but it was also quite a bit slower, intended for use within the Vega system, not necessarily for interstellar travel. Cyborg had salvaged the drives from the remaining two T-ship modules to modify the engines – a fact he lamented over considerably until everyone stopped even pretending to be sympathetic – but a trip that had taken several hours in the Titans' lost vehicle had taken several days instead.

While the extra time allowed everyone to heal from their wounds, both physical and mental, it was also just enough time for them to all seriously get on each other's nerves. They had all hashed and rehashed the arguments and disagreements from Tamaran until it stopped being healthy or productive and now they were all insulated in their own desire to be left alone.

_Mostly_ , Raven thought. Beast Boy continued trying to tell jokes with such frequency that she had the feeling he was hoping someone would tell him to shut up, just so _something_ would happen. Cyborg hunched over the controls, rocking back and forth as if doing so could make the ship go faster. All it did was make them all more tense. Brand, although his wounds – including his broken arm – were mostly healed, had descended into a mood so black that no one dared approach him. Raven herself had given up any attempts at meditation, her own emotional state so raw from the forced close contact that she could never reach the necessary zen state. Only Robin and Starfire seemed cheerful, and Raven knew why that was.

They _all_ knew why that was.

"Can y'all stop making kissy faces back there and strap in?" Cyborg asked from his seat at the controls. The sorceress looked back to see Robin start guiltily from his spot next to Starfire in a big seat that had been intended for a single Citadelian, but served as a cozy loveseat to the two Titans, who were cuddling as they had been the entire trip.

"Apologies, friend Cyborg," Starfire chirped happily. "I did not realize we were being so loud."

Raven couldn't help herself. "Well you were," she mumbled.

Robin shot her a warning glance. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, trying to sound offended. Brand snorted from his seat, his non-syllabic response to the lead Titan's weak defense. "What's wrong with all of you?" Robin asked.

"Dude, we could hear everything," Beast Boy crowed from beside Cyborg.

The masked Titan winced, though Starfire seemed completely unconcerned with the revelation. Modesty had never been her strong suite. "You... all heard?" Robin asked. The four other passengers all answered at once:

"Yes," Raven said firmly, annoyed.

"Everything," Cyborg growled.

"This ship's about the size of a cereal box," Brand snapped by way of explanation.

"And then there's the smell," Beast Boy added. Everyone groaned as one in disgust. "What?!" the changeling asked. "When you have the senses of an animal, you notice these things."

Brand leaned forward in his own seat, neck muscles taut with barely restrained irritation. "Then by all means, crack a window. I'd welcome it at this point."

"Can we hold off on the murder/suicides for another couple minutes?" Cyborg requested. "We're almost there."

_Oh, thank Azar,_ Raven thought with a sigh.

* * *

Cyborg set the Citadel vessel down on the roof of Titans' Tower, running through post-flight checks while everyone else rushed to the hatch to get out of the cramped ship and get seriously lost from each other. Brand was first off the ramp, still stiff from his ordeal on Jalascis, but mostly recovered. His gaze was turned downward, still introspective and angry from the time away from Earth.

Which is why he didn't notice the figure waiting on the roof until she had already blasted him with a wave of pink energy. The dull ache in his arm exploded to a throbbing fury in response to the attack, every wound he had suffered during his duel with Darkfire felt as if it had been re-ignited at once, and he fell to his knees, stifling a cry of pain behind grit teeth. A foot in a black and purple platform shoe swooped towards him in a kick, and he caught it by the ankle with his right hand, stopping its advance and swinging the figure down to crash it onto the roof.

It was a skinny girl with bubblegum pink hair formed into a bent horseshoe shape. Her eyes were pink, too, with narrow, cat-like irises, pink blush highlighting her cheeks. The girl raised her other foot and drew it back to kick Brand in the face. He released her ankle and lifted his arm to block.

"Jinx?" Raven asked from behind the Weapon. Her tone was low, but more curious than threatening. "What are you doing?"

"You know this little goon?" Brand asked over his shoulder, annoyed and embarrassed. Raven nodded, eyes still fixed on Jinx.

The pink-haired girl let out a sigh of relief. "It _is_ you guys," she said, lowering her foot and vaulting back upright with feline grace. "I didn't recognize the ship, thought it might be someone taking advantage of your little vacation." She tilted her head at Brand, who had also regained his feet, grimacing. "This one's a new face, so when he got off first, I figured I better take the initiative."

Beast Boy had disembarked after Raven. "Yeah, but... what are you doing _here_?" he asked.

"I contacted Kid Flash before we left," Robin said as he stepped off the ramp, Starfire at his side. "Told him we needed someone to look after the city while we were gone. He must have brought Jinx with him."

Jinx glanced downwards. "Yeah..." she said.

"Then where is Kid Flash?" Starfire asked, looking around as if the young speedster might be lurking behind the landing struts.

"That's why I'm glad to see you all," Jinx said, kicking at the roof with one boot. She looked up, and they could see the dismay in her expression. The next words came in a rush. "He's gone missing!"

* * *

"Start from the top," Robin said, leaning against the back of the U-shaped couch, arms crossed, watching Jinx carefully. They had all gone to the common room to continue the conversation, joined by Cyborg. The other Titans – and Brand – stood in a loose semi-circle around Jinx to hear what she had to say. The lead Titan didn't want to make the pink-haired hexer feel as if she were under trial, but the tired, grumpy faces that surrounded her were probably not conducive to that end.

Jinx's cat-like eyes jumped from one person to the next as she told her story. "Like you said, Wa -" she paused. "Kid Flash asked me to come with him to watch over Jump City while you all were gone. I felt a little weird about it, staying in the Tower again like I did when the HIVE took it over, and maybe having to run into Mammoth or Gizmo, but Keystone City is kind of a bore, you know?"

"Not really," Beast Boy answered the rhetorical question.

"Well it's in Kansas," Jinx explained. Beast Boy nodded as if that explained everything. "Anyways, things are going good. Quiet, but we got the place to ourselves, so that's not so bad." She looked away, lip quirking in a tiny smile. "But KF starts working a case. 'Just gathering rumors' he said. Something about kidnappings and disappearances happening all along the west coast, but he didn't tell me anything specific. Anyways, he wakes up one day and leaves me a note saying he's gonna' check something out, and..." she stopped again, clearly distressed. "I haven't seen him since."

Raven spoke up. "And when was this?"

The former villainess winced. "Four days ago."

Even as Jinx had finished her story, Robin had moved to a computer on one side of the room and Cyborg had opened a panel in his forearm, punching in commands. Cyborg was the first to report. "I'm not getting anything from his communicator. He's either out of range, or..." he trailed off.

"He's not dead," Jinx said, heatedly.

The bionic Titan glanced up, looking at her with only his red, cybernetic eye. "I didn't say he was," he reassured her. "But he could be in trouble. At the very least, his communicator could be damaged, or jammed, or destroyed."

Jinx took a step towards the big Titan, fists clenched. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she asked.

"Kid Flash was right," Robin noted, staring at his own screen where he scrolled through newspaper articles and police reports. "Disappearances from Bridgetown to San Francisco." He shook his head. "Not enough more than usual to do more than raise a few eyebrows, and there's nothing to link them. Different locations, different circumstances, different kinds of people, only..." He looked up at the six other people in the room. "All teens."

"Who would do such a thing?" Starfire asked.

Robin frowned. "That's the question. I'm sure Kid Flash was looking for the answer when he..." the masked Titan glanced at Jinx. "When he disappeared. I'll check into it, see what I can find."

"Hel-lo!" Jinx said. "Aren't you forgetting something? Kid Flash is _missing_. Shouldn't that be our priority?"

"We have to know where he was before we can find out where he's gone," Raven said calmly.

This time Jinx approached the half-demon, pink eyes flashing. "So what do we do in the meantime? Sit around and wait?" Raven glared back at her. Although Jinx had been made an honorary Titan, there was still clearly some bad blood between the sorceress and the hexer.

It was Brand who made the next suggestion. "Let's just go out and look," he said.

"You're going to search for a speedster in a town the size of Jump City?" Jinx asked scornfully.

"Or we can stay in here and talk about it some more," Brand responded, rolling his eyes and moving to the door. "I need to stretch my legs and get away from all of you anyway, and – if I find something – so much the better." He disappeared through the arch.

There was a moment of silence. "As much as I hate to admit it," Raven said, "he has a point."

Robin nodded at his team. "I'll keep digging around for clues here, you guys get out there and see what there is to see."

* * *

Brand walked through the city wrapped in his thoughts and his dark jacket, wearing the stocking cap he had been given on the day of the Titans' trip to the mall to guard against the November chill. That day seemed so long ago now, but in actuality, it had only been a few weeks. He looked up at the sky, dotted with white cumulus clouds. _A blue sky_ , he thought. _A yellow sun._ He supposed it was true that absence made the heart grow fonder, and he admitted – in mixed warmth and annoyance – that it felt good to be home.

The implication that irritated him was that he had come to think of Jump City as "home". It wasn't. Titans' Tower certainly wasn't. Imagining they were would only make it hurt more when he had to leave. When, not if. This entire experience had only been for the purposes of Brand finding sanctuary from his enemies. For all he knew, the hunt could've been called off by now. He could be a free man. He could stop running and ask the hard question this... Teen Titan fantasy had allowed him to push aside: What did _he_ want to do?

No answer came to mind.

In the meantime, all the Weapon could do was earn his keep. He shook himself free of his musings, scanning the streets as he walked, noting that the pedestrians payed him no mind with his hair covered and the T-sword back at the Tower. Not that he expected to find anything, he just hadn't had the patience to listen to the others argue. There'd been enough of that in the last week.

He admitted it was at least partially his own fault. His humiliation about his defeat at Darkfire's hands ate at him inside, undermining his confidence, making him question his abilities all over again. After all the improvements he had seen in his skills training with the Titans and fighting at their side, he had failed right when it mattered most. Everything had turned out all right in the end, but it had been an almost accidental victory.

When Brand had discussed this with Raven on the long voyage home, she had said that's how it was sometimes with the Titans. Victory was rarely on any one person's shoulders. It was only through their combined efforts and abilities that they could come out on top. Sometimes it was just one x-factor that changed the entire paradigm. Like when Brand himself had turned against Weapon.

He had frowned and made the mistake of telling her that he hadn't turned against Weapon of his own free will, that she had tricked him into it. She had glared – an expression he was all too familiar with – and told him that if that was the case, he was free to go back to his old organization any time he wanted.

_Why do I always have to open my big mouth?_ The swordsman asked himself, wincing at the memory. Every single time things seemed to improve between the two of them, he would do or say something to ruin it.

A rueful smile crossed his face. As always, his musings led back to the same place: Raven. He looked up, wondering if she was searching the city somewhere nearby. What he saw instead with his sharp eyes was a green dove swooping down to some landing spot a few blocks away. _The complete and total opposite of who I was hoping to see_ , Brand thought. He was about to change course, figuring the shapeshifter was searching this section of the city, when it occurred to him he had no idea what Kid Flash even looked like. Without a communicator, he could either look blindly for the missing teen or trek back to the tower to ask.

Neither option appealed to him, so he figured he'd just link up with Beast Boy and get a description of the speedster before going his own way. Brand quickened his pace, following the jade bird to where it had set down. It was a residential area, not far from the high school, Murakami School, as the Weapon recalled. The streets were lined with similar looking houses and shadowed by big, bare trees. Piles of dead leaves dotted the yards of the residents. He looked around for the changeling, wondering if the green teen had already left.

But no, there was an emerald squirrel hiding behind in a tree. It kept peeking out from the branches to peer across the street as if waiting for something. So intent on this was he that Beast Boy didn't even notice Brand approach until he was right behind him.

"What are you doing?" The Weapon asked, glancing around to see if anyone was looking at him, feeling like a fool talking to a rodent in a tree, but he was bemused the shapeshifter's strange behavior. This seemed weird even by Beast Boy's incredibly weird standards.

The changeling morphed back into human form in his shock, falling out of the tree with a crash. He jumped up and whirled to face the white-haired swordsman. "Brand! Why are you here?"

"I'm searching the city," Brand said, already regretting approaching the younger teen. "This is part of the city."

"Oh, yeah, well..." Beast Boy glanced out from behind the tree. "So am I."

The Weapon just stared down at him. "What you're doing is more like 'spying' than 'searching'. Want to try again?"

The changeling gestured for him to keep it down, looking over his shoulder and across the street as a bus pulled to a stop, pressing against the trunk to stay hidden. It idled for a half-minute, letting out its passengers, then drove away. Several people – children and teens – scattered from where the bus had dropped them. Brand was about to speak when Beast Boy covered his mouth with one gloved hand. Blue eyes narrowed in restrained fury. After several moments, the shapeshifter pulled his hand away.

Or, rather, he tried to. Brand grabbed his wrist, leaning down to get in the younger teen's face. "Do that again, and you'll lose the hand. Got it?"

"Sorry, sorry," Beast Boy said, yanking his hand free and shaking away the lingering pain of the Weapon's vice-like grip. "I just didn't want you making too much noise."

Brand scrubbed a hand over his face. "Let me ask again... What are you doing? Because unless one of those kids is a speedster or the culprit behind the kidnappings, then this has nothing to do with what you _should_ be doing."

This time Beast Boy looked over his other shoulder to where one of the teens who had gotten off the bus was walking. "Okay, but you gotta' promise not to tell anyone."

_Oh, god, why did I ask?_ Brand thought, rolling his eyes. "Sure," he said flippantly, just wanting to get this childish intrigue over with.

"Here's the deal," Beast Boy began... "Remember that room I threw you out of a couple weeks back?" Brand glared at the changeling, who gulped. "Yeah, you remember. Well anyway, there was a girl who used to stay in that room. She was a Titan named Terra. She was..." Beast Boy looked away for a moment. "Special. But this guy named Slade got to her, convinced her to turn against us. We fought, and... she ended up sacrificing herself to try to stop Slade. But then, a couple months ago, after the Titans defeated the Brotherhood of Evil, I saw her again. She was alive!" He pointed down the road to the blonde who had gotten off the bus. "That's her."

Brand blinked. "Who's Slade?" he asked.

"He's a..." Beast Boy considered. "He's a bad dude, it would take too long to explain, and anyways, you're missing the point."

"So there _is_ a point, then," Brand said. "That's encouraging."

The changeling slumped where he stood. "You're getting to be way too much like Raven," he said. "My point is that ever since then, I've been kinda' keeping an eye on her, making sure that nothing happens to her. This is the first chance I've had to check on her since before we left."

Brand considered that for a moment. Pieces slid into place in his mind: Beast Boy's strange absences, like when he had skipped out on the trip to the mall, the younger teen's emotional response to the Weapon entering the abandoned room of the Tower. It made sense. "If she was a Titan, she should be able to take care of herself. Does she really need you stalking her?"

"Dude! I'm not stalking her! I just follow her home and watch over her," Beast Boy said. Brand stared. "Seriously, it's not what it sounds like," Beast Boy continued, waving his arms to add emphasis to his point. "And besides, she lost her memory when she came back. She can't use her powers and she doesn't even know who I am." He frowned and looked down.

The Weapon was skeptical. "And you're sure this is the same girl?" he asked.

"Believe me," Beast Boy said. "I know."

"We'll see about that," Brand said. He turned away, jogging along in the direction the girl had taken, crossing the street to get behind her. He heard the changeling telling him to stop, but Brand ignored him. "Hey!" he called. "Terra!" The blonde didn't respond. He called her again and – again – received no answer. The Weapon frowned and hurried until he was right behind the girl. "Where do you think you're going, young lady?" he asked.

This time her shoulders tensed, and she turned slowly to face him. She had tanned skin and big blue eyes... cute, if you liked that sort of thing, Brand supposed, but she was a waif of a girl. She was dressed in a plain school uniform – dark blue skirt, white button-up and dark tie – and a backpack slung over her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said stiffly. "Do I know you?"

The Weapon put a hand on his chin, considering. "I think you know a... friend of mine," he said. "How come you didn't answer when I called you?"

"I didn't hear you call my name," the girl said, clearly uncomfortable.

"Your name isn't Terra?" Brand asked.

The girl shook her head, blonde hair swaying with the motion. "No, it's not. My name is Tina. Are you friends with that green boy? The Teen Titan?"

"He thought you were someone else," the Weapon explained.

"Yeah, I know," Tina sighed. "He has me confused with a girl he used to know. I feel bad for him, but... that doesn't change the fact that I'm a different person."

Brand crossed his arms. "Does it bother you?"

The blonde girl shrugged and looked away. "It doesn't 'bother' me, I just wish he'd get over whoever it was. The person he's looking for is gone, and it doesn't look like she's coming back."

Brand made a thoughtful noise. "Well, sorry for bothering you... Tina," he said. "And watch out, I hear there's been a lot of kidnappings lately."

She looked up and down at him and turned away. "You're the only suspicious person I've seen," she said over her shoulder. The Weapon nodded in acknowledgment, giving her a smirk in return.

The Weapon stood where she had left him on the sidewalk for a long moment, thinking over what the girl had said and not said. Finally he felt the impact of a fist against his shoulder. He turned to see Beast Boy glaring at him. "What'd you go and do that for?" he asked.

"I was curious," Brand said with a shrug.

"What'd she say?" Beast Boy asked, his own curiosity overcoming his anger. "Do you think it's Terra?"

_Oh it's definitely Terra_ , Brand thought, remembering the girl's ambiguous way of phrasing her denial of the identity. "How should I know?" he asked out loud. "I never met the girl." Beast Boy's shoulders slumped. "But either way," Brand continued, "If she's basically living a different life now, shouldn't you leave her be?"

The changeling shook his head, denying the idea. "What if something happened to her? What if Slade came back and hurt her again?"

Brand turned to face the younger teen. "You ever think maybe you're the one hurting her by insisting she's Terra? Let her go."

Beast Boy sighed, turning his eyes upwards. Gray clouds had rolled in, covering the blue sky and the yellow sun. "Is that what you'd do in my place, Brand? Let her go?"

The Weapon thought about that for a long moment, trying to imagine if it was Raven and himself rather than Terra and Beast Boy in this situation. Would he walk away and try to forget? "No," he admitted at last. "I'd fight to bring her back."

* * *

The sky had turned dark and a light drizzle had begun to fall by the time Brand returned to the tower. Despite the worsening weather and a fruitless day of searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack – and who knew if they were even searching the right haystack – he felt much better than he had when he set out earlier that day. The time on his own had done wonders for his attitude, as had a meal of genuine Earth food he had obtained during the search.

He felt – dare he say it – optimistic. Whatever this issue with the missing teens and Kid Flash was, they'd figure it out. Brand would continue his work with the Titans, which would have the dual effects of strengthening him for the next crisis and keeping him close to Raven. Things would work out. He had survived an interplanetary war. What could stop him?

As he walked towards the bridge that led to the tower, he noticed someone standing in his way. It was a small girl with straight, dark hair and vaguely Asian features. Brand's jaw dropped as he realized he recognized the girl. She stepped forward into a patch of light thrown by a street lamp.

It was Seer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not too much to say about this chapter. At this point, I'll probably start to mention the show Farscape quite a bit. It's one of my favorite TV shows of all time, and its the inspiration for my writing. One of the things about that show was how - for a good long while - no one on the crew particularly liked each other. They were constantly working at cross-purposes and getting on each other's nerves. The latter element is what I wanted to suggest with the first section of this chapter. Yes, the Titans are a team (and Brand is there, too, still not a Titan), but they're also a group of teens. They're going to make each other mad. This was also an opportunity to follow up on the previous chapter's Robin/Starfire scene with the pretty clear intimation that the two have been sleeping together.
> 
> The next two sections are the lead-up to the next major arc of the story. I really think the people who are still reading this are going to enjoy this arc, but I'm not going to give anything away here.
> 
> Finally, the re-introduction of Terra into the story, setting up something for much later on. Again, can't give too much away.


	18. Janus I: Visions

"I've been waiting for you," Seer said in her soft, clear, child's voice. In the light of the streetlamp, Brand could see that the girl was drawn, haggard, and pale... skinnier even than Terra had been. Her clothes were torn and muddy and she swayed where she stood. The big, dark eyes were rimmed with red from tears, exhaustion or both. She was far different from the Weapon's memory of her, serene and unflappable even as she stood in the middle of a fight between Brand and the bounty hunter Killshot.

He shook himself free of the memory... ancient history as far as he was concerned. "What are you doing here?" he asked, puzzled and disconcerted by her presence. The cold rain began to fall in earnest from the clouded sky, and Brand noticed with a twinge of concern that Seer wasn't even wearing a jacket, unprotected against the weather.

The girl took another unsteady step forward. "Don't you remember? You saved us back then... that's why I came." Another step. "You have to help them... Photon and the others."

"Others?" Brand asked, feeling a surge of adrenaline. _The missing teens_. "What happened?"

"Prisoners," Seer breathed, the word a cloud of vapor in the dark. "You... need to..." the pre-teen seemed to lose her balance and collapsed, barely avoiding cracking her head on the asphalt. Brand rushed over to her, already stripping off his Weapon jacket to cover the girl.

"Hold on, kid," he said. "Let's get you some help."

Seer shook her head back and forth, her entire body trembling. "Don't!" she said with surprising strength. "Don't touch me!"

Brand ignored her, wrapping his jacket around the girl and lifting her up. She let out a keening wail, eyes rolling back in her head. The Weapon was so startled that he almost dropped her, but cradled the girl close and sprinted over the bridge back to the tower. All the while, Seer chanted in his ear, meaningless words that made him shiver.

"The one in the mirror is going to kill you, the one in the mirror is going to kill you, the one in the mirror is going to kill you..."

* * *

The seven of them were gathered in the common room again, the mood as dark as it had been earlier that day, but for far different reasons. Whatever disagreements they had had were in the past, and – for a brief time – they were united in purpose and concern. There was a mission to focus on once more.

"... better than she was when Brand brought her in," Raven was saying. "But she won't let anyone near her."

"Did she give any reason?" Robin asked, leaning back against the couch again.

Beast Boy was sitting on the counter, picking his teeth. "Yeah, Brand, what'd you do to her?"

The Weapon and Raven shot him twin glares, but it was Raven that answered the question. "She says that whatever 'they' did to her made it so she gets visions whenever someone touches her." The sorceress paused. "Specifically visions of their death."

All of them were silent for a moment after that, some of them wincing sympathetically. "And I thought _I_ had bad luck," Jinx murmured, cat eyes downcast. She couldn't imagine being forced to watch someone die whenever there was physical contact with that person. "It sounds like a nightmare," she said.

"Well it's given me something to look forward to," Brand said through a phony smile. "She said I'm going to get killed by 'the one in the mirror'."

Jinx's eyes went to the Weapon where he stood leaning against the doorway. "Uh... this may not mean anything, but KF has gone up against a guy called 'Mirror Master' a few times."

"There you go, Brand," Beast Boy said. "Just stay away from Keystone City." The swordsman gave him a withering look.

"We're getting off track," Robin said, bringing everyone's attention back to the lead Titan. "What else did she say, Raven?"

The sorceress glanced at Jinx, then stepped forward to hand something to the boy wonder. "Speaking of Kid Flash..." she said.

"Wally?" Jinx asked, her heart leaping in her chest.

"Jinx!" Robin shouted, furious at her slip in protocol. "We use code names for a reason!"

The hexer rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, we're all on the same side here." The five Titans glanced as one to the doorway. Jinx followed their gaze to Brand, who smirked and waved. Jinx blushed, her cheeks even more pink than usual. She shook her head. "I don't care, just tell me what Seer said."

Robin held up the small object that Raven had obtained from the pre-cog. It was a little USB thumb drive. "From what I can gather from Seer's story," Raven said, "she was being held prisoner with dozens of others in some kind of medical facility." Robin went over to the computer and began pulling up the information from the miniature hard drive. "Four days ago," Raven glanced at Jinx, "The alarms started going off. Someone had slipped into the facility unnoticed."

"Kid Flash," Jinx breathed.

"Most likely," Raven continued. "Seer doesn't know his name, she described him as 'a funny man dressed in yellow who spoke really fast'."

The hexer smiled sadly. "Sounds like him to me," she said.

Raven nodded at her before continuing. "At any rate, Kid Flash tried to rescue the captives, but since he was alone, he could only take one person out at a time. The first one out was Seer, then he went back for another. Before he did, he gave her that USB drive and told her to bring it to the authorities if he didn't return." The half-demon shook her head, dark hair lashing her cheeks gently with the motion. "She waited for him for the better part of a day, but he never came back out."

Jinx brought a hand to her mouth, feeling tears gather in her eyes. "That idiot," she whispered. "Why didn't he wait for help? Why didn't he trust me to go with him?" Starfire put a sympathetic hand on the hexer's shoulder.

"And the girl made her way here by herself?" the Tamaranean princess asked. "That was very brave and determined of her."

Cyborg, who had joined Robin at the computer, looked over his shoulder. "But why did she bring it here instead of just going to police?" he asked. "Did she have some kind of vision that we needed this data?"

Raven hesitated. "That's part of it," she said. "But mostly she was looking for... Brand." She turned to stare at the Weapon, whose face revealed nothing. "Apparently, he had saved her and boy called Photon from Killshot – the bounty hunter that almost captured Brand a few weeks back."

"What?!" Beast Boy asked, laughing despite the gravity of the situation, undaunted by the glare that Brand was giving him. "When was this?"

"Not long after we escaped from Weapon," Robin answered without turning away from the console.

Brand shot the lead Titan a surprised look. "You knew?" he asked.

"I saw a police report about the incident," Robin confirmed. "It's one reason I voted to let you stay."

Even Cyborg was staring at Robin now. "And you never told us?" he asked. "That would've been nice to know at the vote."

The masked Titan still didn't turn from the computer, his fingers tapping away at the keyboard as he looked through the data Kid Flash had obtained. "As far as I could find out, it was a onetime occurrence, and Brand himself never brought it up."

"Why would you not mention such heroism?" Starfire asked the Weapon.

Brand shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "It wasn't heroism," he explained. "I saved them by accident, and I forgot about it almost immediately. I had a lot of other things on my mind."

Jinx brought the discussion back to the point. "But what did Kid Flash give the girl?" she asked.

"This," Robin said. The big screen at one end of the room lit up, flashing with schematics and floor plans, newspaper articles and websites, files and personal notes. "He was tracking down an organization by the name of 'Janus'. They're doing some kind of research on meta-humans, which might explain the kidnappings."

"It probably also means that Kid Flash is alive," Cyborg added, glancing at Jinx.

Jinx nodded, eager to believe the best. "They wouldn't pass up an opportunity to study a speedster," she said.

"Wait!" Brand shouted from his spot by the door. "Go back a couple screens." Robin did so, revealing a list of sub-projects and file names. One of them was clearly marked "Weapon." The swordsman stared at the screen for a long moment, eyes narrowed. "So... Weapon is involved with Janus, too," he said, his voice menacing.

"Maybe this is where your genetic enhancements were done," Cyborg said. Brand just nodded.

There was a clatter as Beast Boy leaped off the counter, accidentally knocking one of the bar stools over. "Well what are we waiting for?" he asked. "Let's go shut these bad guys down." There were murmurs of agreement.

Robin finally turned to face the group. "There's just one problem," he said. "Janus isn't some super-villain laboratory or corporate operation." He pulled up one last screen from the file, which revealed an official looking document with a US government seal imprinted on it. "It's a government sanctioned project."

"Which means that if we shut them down, then – according to the law – _we're_ the bad guys."

* * *

The others were still arguing in the common room, divided in opinion about what they could or should do about Janus. Robin was the most strident on the point that they were supposed to be the good guys, they were supposed to work _with_ the authorities, not be vigilantes and unilaterally decide what constituted "justice". It was obviously something he had spent a long time thinking about – no doubt from his time as Batman's sidekick – and his arguments were convincing. Especially once he explained to the others what kind of obstacles they would face if they attacked the facility.

Starfire had suggested going to the authorities with the information that they had as Kid Flash had originally asked Seer to do, but Jinx had made the salient point that Janus _was_ the authorities. There was no one that could be trusted to act on the information without allowing Janus the opportunity to pack up, cover its tracks, and scatter or kill the prisoners so they'd never be found. The same argument applied to Cyborg's idea to go public with what they knew. There wasn't enough time to wage a PR campaign against a secret government project.

Raven had listened as long as she could, but the discussion had begun to escalate into the kind of fighting they had all had too much of in the last week cooped up on the Citadelian ship, and she had slipped out of the room to check on Seer. The medical ward was dark and quiet, and the girl was sleeping, tossing and turning and making little noises even in her unconscious state. The sorceress felt an affinity for the young pre-cog; gifted with a power that had become a curse. She was too young to carry such a burden.

_What kind of life could she possibly live like this?_ Raven wondered. _And even worse now, when she's afraid of getting too close to anyone ever again._

It was another similarity between them. The half-demon feared physical and emotional intimacy for similar but different reasons. The mental instability that could result had a very real possibility of throwing her own powers into turmoil. She had attempted to get close to someone once, and it had been a disaster. Her judgment had been impaired, and her friends had almost been killed by the monster that had seduced her. Like mother, like daughter. Raven bit her lip, remembering.

Believing you were meant to be alone for the rest of your life, always being afraid of someone getting too close... it was no way for anyone to live.

"What are you going to do?" a voice asked from the doorway behind her.

Raven turned around, her mind made up in that instant. "I'm going to help her. Are you going to try to stop me?"

Brand sighed and looked away. "Would it make any difference if I did?" The sorceress shook her head. "Then, I guess not," the Weapon said with a faint, crooked smile. He paused. "How can I help?"

"You can... 'spot me'," Raven answered, turning away again to hide her surprise. "It's always dangerous to go into the mind of someone with mental powers. If things go wrong, I want you to break the contact. By force, if necessary."

The swordsman nodded. "Got it," he said.

Raven approached the sleeping girl and raised her hands, which glowed dark even in the dim light of the medical ward. She hesitated, knowing what was likely to happen when she initiated contact, trying to brace herself for what she would see.

Her own death.

All at once, she leaned forward, slipping into Seer's subconscious. Instantly, the girl went stiff under Raven's hands, mouth opened in a silent scream. The sorceress tried to resist the pull of the pre-cog's mind, but was dragged under like a swimmer discovering the under-tow.

_The vision was indistinct, vague, no sense of time or place or circumstance; completely without context. Raven saw herself in the arms of someone else. She narrowed the eyes of her mind, the vision a cruel joke after what she had just been thinking before entering Seer's mind. Then the second figure came into focus, gaining color and definition. It was Brand._

_Raven's avatar, disconnected from her own body as it was, was still capable of feeling emotion, and she felt herself flush to see the two of them in such an intimate embrace._ This isn't a vision, _she thought._ It's a fantasy. I must have entered Brand's mind by mistake somehow. _But she knew that wasn't true. And she realized how wrong she was a moment later._

_The vision seemed to pull back and Raven saw that what she had mistaken for an intimate embrace was something else entirely. Brand's sword was pushed deep into the other Raven's stomach, up to the hilts, the blade stained dark with her blood. Most of the Weapon's face was blocked by her own head, but she saw his lips move, though she heard nothing. He pulled the sword free and the other Raven collapsed into his arms limply._

_Lifeless._

_Raven felt a sense of betrayal that surprised her as the vision faded. Somehow she had convinced herself that Brand had turned a corner, had turned his back forever on his past as an assassin, but... if this vision were true..._

_Dimly, she became aware that Brand – the real Brand – was calling to her in the physical domain._

"Raven? What's wrong?!"

_She saw herself, eyes squeezed shut, hands lifted to Seer's head, both of their bodies stiff and vibrating._

"I'm... I'm okay," she said with an effort behind clenched teeth. "Don't pull me free."

_Raven slipped back into Seer's mind, ignoring the vision and moving further and deeper, entering the young girl's tortured mindscape. It was filled with images of her imprisonment: the endless pokings of needles, the probings and tests she had been subjected to, the fear of her fellow prisoners, the countless visions of death. Raven saw Kid Flash, and other faces she recognized, including members of the HIVE. More than just a few teens had been taken._

_To the sorceress, the pains and privations that Seer felt were also hers. She absorbed all the knowledge, all the suffering, taking as much as she could into her soul self and away from the young girl under her hands, knowing Brand wouldn't approve, but not caring. She stifled a cry, not wanting to give the Weapon any reason to break the contact before she was finished._

_Finally, Raven found what she had been looking for. The glowing Pandora's box in the center of the girl's mindscape that was the representation of her power of seeing the future. Her gift. Her curse. The box was bent and misshapen, and the lid wouldn't close all the way. In an instant, the sorceress realized that she couldn't repair the damage that had been done. The trauma of her imprisonment and the torturous images that Seer had experienced had forever broken her pre-cognition._

_There was only one thing Raven could do, and she couldn't ask anyone for advice or permission. She made the decision unilaterally, feeling sick, but convinced that it was the most merciful option she had. Using her power, she constructed her own box, black and impenetrable, around Seer's, surrounding it with six thick plates of mental energy, blocking off the girl's gift._

_It was not a painless procedure. Seer screamed and Raven screamed with her. The last wall of the cube had just slid into place and solidified when Raven felt strong arms yank her free of the contact._

She stumbled backwards against Brand's chest, his arms encircling her. "Dammit, Raven!" he said. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Raven answered, though her voice was hoarse from her scream. Her legs were too weak to support her, and she leaned back against the Weapon, unable to stand. "I saw... I saw what she went through at the Janus facility."

"What else did you see?" Brand asked, his voice tight. The sorceress struggled to push away from him, remembering the vision, but she was still too weak and his grip too tight. "What did you see, Raven?" he repeated, spinning her around to face him.

She could only stare, realizing that they were very nearly in the same position they had been in the vision. Raven shook her head silently, unable to answer for a long moment. "Nothing," she said at last. "Is Seer okay?"

Brand looked at her for another moment, and she was sure he saw the lie in her eyes. Nonetheless he released her and went over to check on the girl. "She's fine," he said, sounding surprised. "Resting peacefully and breathing well, though I don't know how with all the screaming you two were doing." The Weapon glanced at Raven. "Were you able to help her?"

A lump rose in the sorceress's throat, and she actually had to fight back tears. She had intended to deceive him, but somehow, she couldn't bring herself to say the words. "I blocked off her visions," she said instead, choking out the words as if she were a penitent in a confessional.

"Forever."

Brand stared at her, blue eyes bright in the darkness. Raven felt as if they were judging her.

"I couldn't... fix it, Brand," she explained. "It was either that or leave her to suffer with visions of death for the rest of her life."

The Weapon breathed deep. Let it out slowly. He glanced at Seer and back to Raven. "You did what you had to do," he said. "I know it... couldn't have been easy." She shook her head in response. "Come on," Brand said after a moment. "Let's let her sleep. She needs it." He led Raven out, looking away while the sorceress lifted her hood to hide her puffy eyes.

She hated him for being so considerate and understanding. Hated him for supporting her. Now of all times.

After she had watched him kill her.

* * *

The night passed. No one slept much.

The next morning, one by one, the seven teens came into the common room once again. By unspoken, mutual agreement, no one said anything until the last of them entered, Beast Boy dragging his feet and yawning as he crossed the threshold. Kid Flash's Janus files were still flashing on the big screen, reminding them all of the decision they had to make. Outside, the rain had stopped, but gray clouds still rolled by, sunlight peeking through tiny rents in the dim mantle.

It was Jinx who spoke first, stepping up the screen and turning to face the others. "Okay... Kid Flash is in trouble. Maybe it's wrong, but I can't let the fact that Janus is a government project stop me from trying to save him. If that makes me a criminal again, well," a bitter smile crossed her face. "I'm used to it." The smile vanished, and she suddenly seemed very small. "I can't really ask you to help me, but... at least don't try and stop me."

A moment passed, then Raven crossed the floor to stand next to Jinx, much to the pink-haired girl's surprise. "I saw the terrible things that Janus is doing to those prisoners in Seer's mind," she said. "I can't just let them suffer."

Brand was next, joining the two girls on their side of the room. "Seer came here for me. She asked _me_ to help the prisoners. I feel responsible, for her and for Photon, especially since..." he looked down for a moment. "Weapon is related – somehow – to Janus. I need to find out what the connection is.

Silently, Starfire, Cyborg, and even Beast Boy joined Jinx. Robin stared at the group.

"You're talking about attacking a heavily guarded _government_ facility," the masked Titan insisted. "What are you going to do? Knock on the front door?"

The others glanced at each other, then Brand gave Robin a tired, shame-faced grin. "I was kind of counting on you to come up with a plan," he admitted.

Robin shook his head. "I know." He stared at the six of them. "I'll do my best," he said at last.


	19. Janus II: With Friends Like These

"This isn't going to work," Raven said. The seven of them had been discussing various plans and possibilities and stratagems for gaining access to the Janus facility for hours now. So far, they had not come up with a single, workable idea to complete the mission. The lab was just too well guarded, with too much security and too many factors to manage with their small team.

Beast Boy made a noise of frustration, picking at what he called a 'sandwich', though with his vegan proclivities, no one could say what, exactly, said sandwich was made of. "I don't get it," the changeling said. "Let's just have Raven teleport us in. Or the prisoners out. Why put in so much effort to walk through the door?"

"Weren't you listening?" Jinx asked scornfully.

Cyborg brought up one of Kid Flash's technical readouts, displaying a block of what looked like steel. "This is an Nth metal battery," he said, repeating his earlier explanation with strained patience. "Really just a big piece of Nth metal with a current running through it."

"And... what's Nth metal again?" Beast Boy asked. Everyone groaned. "I'm sorry," the shapeshifter said. "We've been talking about this for so long, I can barely think."

Brand rolled his eyes, arms crossed over his chest. "What's your excuse the rest of the time?" he asked.

"Nth metal is a transuranic ore native to the planet Thanagar," Starfire explained in her clear voice. "It is prized for its ability to negate gravity and it also interferes with the flow of certain aetheric particles most common to - "

"It disrupts magic," Raven broke in, simplifying it for her green teammate.

Once again, Cyborg picked up the thread of the explanation, changing the display to show a transparent sphere that surrounded the entire facility and a its surroundings up to 100 meters. "By running electricity through the Nth metal, they've created a field that keeps anyone from using any kind of magic anywhere nearby."

"Which means that Raven and Jinx are effectively without powers for the duration of the mission," Robin concluded. "Raven can't teleport anyone in or out."

"So we'll have to try a little harder to get the prisoners," Brand said. "So what?"

Keys clacked as Cyborg switched to yet another screen, an overhead view of the facility and the surrounding grounds. "I'm not even sure we can get in," the bionic Titan admitted. Countless lines and circles lit up on the map. "They have motion sensors, pressure sensors, infrared, the works, not to mention the physical guard towers."

The Weapon was growing more and more impatient. "Why are we wasting so much energy trying to sneak in?" He asked. "Let's blitz 'em."

Another screen came up, an inventory of guard robots at the Janus facility. The numbers were in the triple digits. "The place is fully stocked," Cyborg said. "Z-8s mostly – those are the same kind of robots that the Justice League is using for training – but they also have a full set of what they're calling 'W-05s' – I think those are Weapon drones – and a few more I don't recognize at all."

Jinx waved her fingertips sarcastically. "Ooh, robots. Scary."

"A _lot_ of robots," Raven countered.

"No problem for the seven of us," Beast Boy said confidently.

Robin shook his head. "Five. Raven and Jinx won't have their powers, remember?"

The two magic-users spoke at once. The words were different, but the sentiment was the same: neither liked being considered useless without their powers, and both claimed they would pull their weight regardless. They stopped as one and looked at each other, both seeming surprised that there was something they agreed on.

"And what about all the civilians that work at the lab?" Robin continued. "Are we going to 'blitz' them, too?"

Brand gave the masked Titan a look. "They're not exactly innocent, Robin."

Robin stood, suddenly angry, slamming a fist against the counter. "I will not be responsible for hurting or killing government scientists or office workers!" he shouted. He leaned forward, lowering his voice to a hiss. "And if that's your intention, Brand, then I'll stop you, and I'll stop you right now."

The Weapon set his jaw, blue eyes flashing with restrained fury. He looked around at the other six teens. "Am I missing something here?" he asked. "We did agree that we're going to save the prisoners, didn't we?"

"Going in guns blazing is just going to get us killed or captured, and it won't help the prisoners," Raven said. Brand's lip twitched, and he turned away. Starfire walked to Robin's side and put a hand on his shoulder. The lead Titan sat down slowly, regaining his cool with an effort.

"It seems as if the biggest obstacle we face is the Nth field," Starfire said. "If we could deactivate the generator, then Raven would be able to get the prisoners out quite quickly."

"We would still have to get someone into the facility," Raven said.

Beast Boy raised a hand. "Ooh, ooh, I got it!" he exclaimed. "Let's just get ourselves kidnapped!"

They all glanced at each other as if asking permission for who should go first. Raven began. "Okay... how?" she asked simply. "We have no idea who handles the capture, where they operate, or how they select their targets."

Jinx continued. "Even if we knew all of that information, how long would it take until Janus actually made their move against us? We don't have that kind of time."

Next was Brand. "And even if we were kidnapped, how do we accomplish anything locked in a cell?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Beast Boy said, shoulders slumping.

"Could Beast Boy turn into a small creature and 'hitch a hike' on one of the technicians to gain access to the lab?" Starfire asked.

Robin corrected her absently. "Hitchhike," he said. "I'm sure Beast Boy could get in, but what could he do in there by himself? No offense Beast Boy." The shapeshifter shrugged, used to the abuse. "But he would have to stay pretty small to avoid detection. He wouldn't be able to carry anything in with him. And he wouldn't be able to shut down the generator on his own."

There was a long silence as each of the seven considered the problem. Finally Cyborg spoke again. "I may have something here," he said quietly. The display zoomed in on one of the four guard towers that warded the laboratory at North, South, East, and West. "Janus's computer system is a closed one: It's not connected to the outside world in any way, except to these guard posts. If I could get access to one, I could hack into their computers."

Jinx leaned forward eagerly. "Could you shut down the generator from there?"

"Not a chance," Cyborg answered. "But I might be able to set off an alarm that would at least get the workers to evacuate, maybe mess up some of their other security systems, too." He glanced at Robin with his human eye. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about hurting any of the civilians."

"It would also mean we'd be losing another member of the infiltration team," Robin said, "since you'd be stuck at the guard tower the entire mission."

This time it was Brand who stood up, glaring at Robin again. "I'm trying – very hard – to stay patient," he said. "I know this is going to be a tough nut to crack, but just tell us what to do to make this work and we'll do it."

Robin sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. There's just not enough of us to pull this off."

"I can't accept that," Brand said.

The boy wonder's masked eyes narrowed at the Weapon, the prelude to another argument between the two, but Jinx rose to forestall it. "What if we had help?" she asked. "Because... I think I know where we can get some."

* * *

No one was happy about it, but their options were limited. In the end, it was Raven who turned the tide, reminding the others not only of her similar gambit in coercing Brand to help her save the Titans from Weapon, but also revealing who she had seen in Seer's memories of the Janus lab. With that minor bit of leverage, Jinx was given permission to implement her idea. But not alone. Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy went with her as insurance. The hexer tried to explain to them that coming in force would only cause problems, but they had insisted. Jinx realized after some thought that the Titans were actually trying to protect her.

It was a humbling realization.

She had figured that the Titans only tolerated her for Kid Flash's sake, that they were humoring him by making it seem as if they accepted her. But Wally wasn't here, and they were all still acting like the allies they professed to be, not only helping her to save the speedster, but accepting her input and ideas like an equal partner. Such a different environment than that she had grown used to: leader of her small squad of HIVE students but subordinate in all ways to the rest of the organization. A lonely place to be.

But isolation was something Jinx had been used to. One didn't grow up as not only a harbinger of bad luck, but the active cause of it without getting shunned. The HIVE had accepted her, but only as one tool in their belt, embracing only the bad and ignoring the good. _No, not just ignoring it_ , Jinx recalled. _Excising it_. They taught her to hate the positive, the uplifting, the enlightening, and she had listened, eager to find a place where she belonged.

She saw now that the HIVE as an organization wasn't that place. It was in the friends she had made there, and the life she had built. It had been a house of cards, however, constructed on a rotting foundation in high winds. The rush and profit of the crime was always more than balanced by the time in jail and the reprimands of her instructors, and the camaraderie she had enjoyed with Gizmo and Mammoth and the rest was tainted by the attitudes they had inherited from those same teachers: Greed, cowardice, intolerance, laziness...

It had suffocated her. And then Kid Flash had shown up and said the words she had been longing to hear for months, ever since Cyborg – in the guise of "Stone" – had slipped into the HIVE on a mission for the Titans: "You can do better." Wally had given her a chance, just like the Titans were now giving that creepy swordsman a chance. If two villains could be redeemed, why not more? This would be a first step to get them started. To give the HIVE Five the opportunity she had been given.

The hideout was just as she had left it, a structure not unlike Titans' Tower, only shaped like an "H" instead of a "T". It was darker and dirtier as well, even more so than it had been the last time Jinx had seen it. Although she was pleased that she had found her former allies so quickly, she was also appalled at their idiocy in not changing locations after Kid Flash had embarrassed them so thoroughly.

The T-car slowed to a halt a couple hundred meters away from the hideout. Jinx turned in her seat to address the three Titans. "If I know Gizmo," she said, "then he has some traps set for anyone who sniffs around. Let me go up first and see if I can make my case without starting a fight."

Cyborg was reluctant to let her go alone, but agreed. The pink-haired hexer slipped out of the car and made her way to the "H"-shaped structure openly, not even trying to hide. Her sharp eyes, still familiar with all of her former teammate's tricks, caught glimpses of his mechanical minions shadowing her, metallic figures in the clouded gray light of day. She stepped into the open area in front of the building – the killing field, Mammoth had called it – and waited.

A small robot, really just a speaker suspended by a propeller, floated down from above. "You gotta' lot of guts coming back here, ya' traitor," a familiar voice said through the device. Gizmo. Jinx would recognize that crude diction anywhere.

She put her hands on her hips and smiled at the device, figuring it had a camera on it. "Still mad?" she asked. "I don't know why. I did what any of us would have done... I took a better offer."

"A better offer?" Gizmo laughed. "From that pit-sniffing, grease-licking do-gooder? If he's so great, why are you here?"

"I have a job," Jinx said. "Thought I'd ask you guys if you wanted in on it. For old times' sake."

Cleverly concealed patches of the ground flipped over, revealing automated laser turrets. "Wrong answer," Gizmo said. "I saw you arrive in that piece of junk Cyborg's piece of junk car."

The hexer sighed. "You're wasting my time, and you're making me mad," she said.

"Boo hoo," Gizmo replied sarcastically, and the floating speaker zoomed upward to safety. The guns fired. Lazily, Jinx sent twin arcs of her magic towards the nearest turrets, and they collapsed, rusted from the inside out. As others tracked her, she flipped and twirled through the gauntlet, causing other guns to mutually destroy each other with friendly fire.

_Just like old times_ , Jinx thought. Then banks of rocket launchers emerged from the front of the hideout. _Okay, that part's new._ Just as the rockets began to launch, a cobalt beam fired from behind her, and an emerald one from above, destroying one missile and causing a chain reaction of fratricide to detonate the rest. The force of the explosions sent Jinx to the ground, a blast of heat washing over her, but she was otherwise unharmed.

"We're not here to take you in," Cyborg shouted. "Unless you make us."

Jinx smiled back at the dark-skinned Titan, then up at Starfire, who was circling above. The two of them had saved her. "I already told you," the hexer said, turning back to the hideout. "I'm here about a job."

The floating speaker reappeared, a stream of nonsense invective spilling from it in Gizmo's usual style. "Fine," he said at last. "Come on in. But no funny business." The door opened and the four of them entered, Beast Boy bringing up the rear. The HIVE Five were waiting for them in the entry, or rather, the HIVE Four.

Mammoth was the most noticeable one, a giant of a teen with long red hair and sideburns who stood like a leaning wall, breathing heavily. Next to him on one side was See-More, an embarrassed smile splitting his dark face, waving shyly at Jinx. On the other side was Gizmo, diminutive and angry, arms crossed as he stared up at them. Barely visible behind the three was Kyd Wykkyd, dark and silent.

"Even for me, this place is a mess," Beast Boy said, glancing around at the interior of the hideout. It _was_ a mess. The walls were cracked, clothes and mechanical debris lay everywhere. The floor was littered with pizza boxes and mostly-empty containers of Chinese food. Jinx was dismayed to find her former companions living in such slovenly conditions, and she felt a twinge of guilt, guessing that the group had hit upon hard times, and that it may have been her fault.

Gizmo actually flushed at the changeling's comment, either annoyed or ashamed. "Aw, shut up," he said. "It's not like you're invited guests or nothing." He glared up at Jinx. "So what's this about a job, and why should we trust you after what you did?"

Jinx gave her best smile. "Oh, come on, Giz," she said. "We're not going to get anywhere if you keep bringing up ancient history."

"It ain't ancient to us," Mammoth rumbled. "You didn't just ditch the team, you joined the other side and attacked us."

"You, too, Mammoth?" Jinx asked, but her smile had shrunk. She took a step towards See-More, putting her hands behind her back and leaning forward coyly. "What about you, See-More?"

The dark-skinned HIVE graduate blushed deeper under the giant eye-shaped visor that covered most of his face. "I can't be mad at you, Jinx," he said, "but I can't help being suspicious, seeing as you're here with the Titans."

"That's what makes this job so interesting," the hexer said with a grin. "It's a joint operation."

The HIVE members all looked at each other, then – as one – they laughed. "Oh that's rich," Gizmo said, snorting as he giggled. "Us? Working with the Titans? Get real."

"This is not a laughing matter," Starfire said, eyes glowing. "We require your assistance in a most urgent mission." That only made them laugh louder.

Jinx grit her teeth. "Where's Billy?" she asked, her question loud enough to be heard over the laughter. The chuckles died away. Jinx knew there ought to be a fifth member of the HIVE Five here, the redneck replicator called Billy Numerous. She also knew why he wasn't with the others.

"You know something about Billy?" Mammoth asked.

Gizmo swatted the giant teen's leg. "Shut up, kludge-head!"

"He's missing, isn't he," Jinx said. It was not a question. The HIVE four glanced at each other again. "We know where he is. Part of this mission is getting him free, along with a bunch of other kids."

See-More looked uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Might be a good idea, Gizmo," he said.

"Billy ain't worth the trouble of teaming up with these bacon-lovers," Gizmo said, turning up his nose and looking away.

"Hey, I resent that," Beast Boy protested. Everyone ignored him.

Jinx peered around Mammoth to address Kyd Wykkyd for the first time. "And what about Angel?" she asked. The demonic-looking teen glanced at the hexer sharply, and, without a word, squeezed between Mammoth and See-More to stand at the Titans' side. Kyd was the one member of the HIVE that Jinx had known she could get to help. For all his silence and love of darkness, the teleporter's one great weakness – or strength – was his relationship with the valkyrie, Angel.

"Oh, for the love of..." Gizmo rolled his eyes. "Fine, guess you got lover boy, but the rest of us aren't -" The tiny computer genius looked over and saw that See-More had joined Kyd Wykkyd. "Dammit!" He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Mammoth was still with him, but the giant was staring down at him with a plaintive expression on his face.

The big red-head said a single word. "Shimmer." Gizmo sighed in response.

"Who or what is 'Shimmer'?" Cyborg asked.

"His sister," Jinx said, suddenly sympathetic. "Is Shimmer missing, too, Mammoth?" The massive teen nodded. "Well odds are she's one of the prisoners. We'll get her free, that's a promise." Mammoth nodded again and stomped across the floor to stand next to Beast Boy, who looked intimidated in the giant's shadow.

Gizmo stamped his feet, fists clenching, looking for all the world like an infant throwing a tantrum. "This is a dirty, low-down trick," he said.

"No trick," Jinx said. "Just a chance for you to help out your friends."

"My mistake," Gizmo said, rolling his eyes again. "A dirty, low-down, _good-for-nothing_ trick. What do _I_ get out of it?"

Jinx glanced at Cyborg, who made a face. "We'll... pay," the bionic said, as if the words pained him. The Titans weren't exactly flush with expendable income (most of what they were provided went to overhead) but Robin said he would be able to cover the cost of hiring the HIVE if it came down to that.

The diminutive genius laughed again and rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Taking the Titans' money? This might be worth something after all." He grinned. "Okay, I'm in."

_Let's just hope I don't regret suggesting this_ , Jinx thought.

* * *

"Thank you again, Brand... Raven," Seer said, hugging herself against the chill. She looked small and forlorn out in front of Titans' Tower, wearing one of the Weapon's jackets, oversized on her little frame. A police car was parked nearby, doors open, the officer pretending not to pay attention as the girl said her farewells.

Brand glanced at Raven, who looked back at him as if to say "You're on your own." Neither of them were good with children. Or people in general. "Yeah, well... sorry the others couldn't be here to see you off, kid," the swordsman said. "But we all have a lot of work to do." Jinx, Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy were off on their HIVE recruitment mission, and Robin had left on his own mysterious errand shortly thereafter, leaving only the Weapon and the sorceress to hold the fort.

Seer peered up at Brand as if looking for some deeper meaning in his words. "To save Photon and the others?" she asked.

"That's right," the Weapon said, giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "We'll rescue the lot of them, and then Photon will be able to tell you all about it when he gets back to Bridgetown."

The girl seemed to consider that. "I know you'll succeed," she said.

Brand raised an eyebrow. "Did you... see that?" he asked.

She shook her head. "But I believe in you." The swordsman blushed, unused to such blind faith. Seer turned to Raven. "Thank you again," she said. "I know... what you did, and..." she trailed off.

Raven stepped forward, closed off within her cloak, hood up. "It'll be hard," the sorceress said. "You have to live like the rest of us now: One day at a time."

The young girl beamed, the first time Brand could remember seeing such an expression on her face. "I think it's exciting," she said. Raven nodded to her. "Goodbye," Seer said. "I hope we meet again someday." She climbed into the car, and the police officer did so as well, throwing a jaunty salute to the two teens. The vehicle growled to life and accelerated.

Brand watched the car cross the bridge back to the mainland. "Looks like you made the right choice," he said. Raven didn't answer. She had been unusually taciturn, even for her, ever since the others left, and the Weapon was miffed at her behavior. They walked back to the Tower, heads lowered against the chill wind that blew in from the ocean. Neither of them spoke.

_What did I do this time?_ Brand asked himself. He considered the question as they entered the Tower. Raven was pulling ahead of him now, intent on finding solitude, no doubt, but he still felt as if something else was wrong. "Hey," he said. Raven halted reluctantly. "About me arguing with Robin earlier..."

The sorceress shook her head. "He's worried," she explained. "It's not that he doesn't want to save the prisoners, he just doesn't want any of us to get hurt doing it." She turned and started walking again, heading for the elevator.

Brand narrowed his eyes, hesitating a moment before rushing after the half-demon, slipping between the elevator doors as they closed. "Is something wrong?" he asked as the car began to move.

"No," she said without looking at him. She offered nothing more.

"When you don't elaborate," the Weapon said, "I have to assume that by 'no', you mean 'yes, but I won't tell you.'"

Raven didn't hesitate. "Yes, but I won't tell you," she said. "Better?" Two... three... four... the floor indicator lights blinked on and off as they continued to ascend.

"Okay, _why_ won't you tell me?"

She twisted to look at him, eyes hidden under the hood of her cloak. "You're getting as bad as Beast Boy. Do you really enjoy arguing with me this much?"

Brand blinked at that. "Does it occur to you that I might actually be concerned?"

"No, it doesn't," she said. "Can you leave me alone now?"

The Weapon stopped himself from taking her by the shoulders with an effort. "Now who's trying to start an argument?" he asked. "You're treating me worse than you did when I first came back here. Why?"

For a long moment, Raven didn't answer. The elevator slowed, and the doors slid open, revealing the hall that led to the Titans' living quarters. Brand thought she would just turn and walk away from him, but at last she spoke. "Seer's last vision," she began. The swordsman felt a chill run through him. "I saw my death..."

"You kill me," she said.

Brand stared at her as she stepped over the threshold of the elevator just as the doors began to close. Fury welled up within him and he punched the "door open" button with far more force than necessary, startling Raven. He joined her in the hall, stepping around in front of her and leaning down to see under the shadowy hood she wore. "How could you think I would do something like that to you?" he asked, his voice tight, choking the words out. "After the rooftop, the gym, Jalascis... how could you even entertain the idea that I would willingly hurt you?"

"I know what I saw, Brand," Raven said. Her tone was harsh, but there was guilt in her expression.

"You saw wrong," Brand said. "You've been inside my mind, you know how I feel about what I tried to do to you. I'm not that person anymore. And I hoped that you would know that." She seemed to soften, but this time it was the Weapon who didn't want to hear it. He swept past her and strode away down the hall, leaving her behind.

* * *

Night had fallen over the city, endless lines of red and white lights marching across the highways and thoroughfares of a populous town collectively driving home to rest up for another day. The nine-to-fivers were returning to their domiciles, to their families if they had them, businesses were closing, doors were locking. And, as darkness deepened, someone else went to work. Not a late-shifter or graveyard-shifter, although most of their work was indeed done at such times.

The only schedule they recognized was their own; the only pay that which they could take for themselves. The benefits could be enormous, but the penalties even more so.

_But they'd have to catch me first,_ the thief known as Red X thought, smiling behind the skull mask he wore over his face. The rest of his body was covered by dark cloth, ebony body suit and cape with charcoal gloves. Only two places showed color: His forehead and his chest, displaying the crimson cross that gave him his name. The costume was effective even on a surface level, providing camouflage and concealment, as well as a certain amount of intimidation. But beneath the surface, powered by the unstable Xenothium contained within the thief's belt, was a tool of numerous applications.

Stealth, attack, and defense. Surprise, crowd control, and confusion. Power.

Despite all of that, X still found that the suit's best attribute was _identity_. It was his best way of stepping out of the shadows that others cast and proclaiming himself as someone else. Not a hero. Not a villain. He was his own man making his own way in the manner he chose. He was a bold statement of individuality threading the lane between the two sides. X marked the spot.

He had been waiting in the Jump City University's museum of natural history for the last several hours, using the suit's cloaking field to keep himself hidden. X had entered the building in street clothes, blending into the crowds at the busiest time of the day before finding an out of the way spot to change into his suit and make himself invisible. It was a drain on his limited Xenothium reserves, but when he pulled of this score, he would have more than enough to replenish his stock of the red ore. And it was well worth the trade. Now he could bypass all the pesky alarms and perimeter defenses that guarded the building. Not that X couldn't have made his way passed the traps, but he preferred working smarter to working harder.

Now that the museum was closed, the thief could get to work. He slipped out of the corner he had waited in and crept through the building without a sound. The lenses in the white mask flicked between different modes in response to certain, nearly undetectable movements he made with his facial muscles. The view changed from night vision, switched over to reveal the invisible lasers that warded the valuable exhibits, then went to infrared.

Something was wrong. Where were the guard patrols? X scanned the building carefully, but there wasn't a single human heat signature nearby. His mouth soured as he realized that his presence here at this time might have been anticipated, and that he could be walking into a trap. As cautious as the thief had been before, he was forced to go even slower, wary of making even the slightest noise.

At last, Red X stood before his target: The Mogok Ruby. It was a massive gem nearly the size of his closed fist, sparkling even in the dim light of the darkened museum. He waited a long time before he moved towards it, searching the building for heat signatures again and – again – finding nothing. His right eyebrow twitched to change the lenses' frequency, wanting to see the grid of lasers around the ruby.

Nothing.

X spun, knowing someone was toying with him now. As he finished his 360 turn and faced the ruby again, he saw that a figure was standing next to it that had not been there before. A figure as familiar to him as a member of his own family.

"Well, well, well..." the thief said, setting himself in a defensive stance. "Been a while, kid."'

Robin just stared at him, arms folded across his chest. He didn't look happy. "I'm not here to fight you," he said.

"If you're going to try to stop me from getting the gem, then you'll get a fight anyway." X's curiosity got the better of him. "How'd you know I'd be here?"

The masked Titan's lip curled in a half-smile that was more like a snarl. "I know how you think." X just stared. "An exclusive showing of the Mogok Ruby, in Jump City for only two days? How could _Red_ X resist an iconic heist like that?"

X shrugged, lowering his hands from the fighting posture he had been in. "Predictable, sure," he admitted, "but I heard you Titans were out of town." He gave Robin a hard smile, making sure it was audible in his voice. "No one else knows me like you do." The thief strolled forward, past where the laser grid should have been to run his hands over the transparent display case holding the ruby, Robin watching him closely the entire time. "If you're not here to fight, then what's this about?"

"I want your help," Robin said.

Red X couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "Oh? How many times do I have to tell you that I don't like playing the hero, kid?"

"You also told me that just because you don't like to, doesn't mean you don't know how to," Robin countered. "The group we're after is holding kids as prisoners, experimenting on them. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Not my problem," X said, shrugging.

Robin glared at the thief. "What if I made it your problem?" he asked, voice low.

X tilted his head. "What are you offering?"

"Xenothium," Robin said.

"How much?"

The masked Titan pursed his lips. "Enough to last you a month."

Red X shook his head. "See ya'." He didn't wait for a response, he just flickered and vanished.

"Six months!" Robin called into the apparently empty room.

It wasn't clear whether the Titan knew X was still in the room or not, but he hadn't moved from where he had been standing, on the other side of the display case from Robin. The thief had expected a counter offer. What he hadn't expected was for it to be as high as it was. He switched off the cloaking field. "You must really be desperate," he said. "Who are you after?"

"A group calling themselves 'Janus'," Robin said. "They're a -"

X went cold. "I know who they are," he said. His gaze drifted away from the Titan, looking at nothing. "Janus is no joke. Do you have some kind of plan?"

Robin hesitated. Very few people would have noticed it, but Red X did. "Yeah, I think so."

The thief let out a thoughtful grunt. "Six months worth of Xenothium, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Let's go." He strode away from the display case holding the Mogok Ruby, shoulders hunched, cocky swagger missing. He didn't look back.

* * *

It took them all night, but they had finally come up with a plan that had at least a chance of success. Day was just breaking again, the dawn peeking out from the east under the cloud cover that still hung over the city like a pall. They were all tired and cranky, but as the last elements had fallen into place, the twelve of them had felt a new energy. Even the HIVE Four were caught up in the enthusiasm.

"Let's go over it one more time," Robin said from his place at the head of the common room. He pointed at Gizmo, who stood one one of the bar stools, toying with some piece of his gear. "Hacking team."

The tiny mechanic's tongue poked out from between his teeth as he tightened a component with a wrench. "For the hundredth time," he muttered. "Starfire and I infiltrate the southwest guard tower. I hack the system and set off an alarm to get all the workers out of the lab. Once I'm done, I see what I can do to confuse the robo-guards and grease the skids for the G-Team."

Robin nodded. "Make sure to get into their communications, too. You have to check in at regular intervals like the guard tower is still occupied."

"Yeah, yeah," Gizmo said, waving an annoyed hand in the general direction of the Titans' leader. "I know all that."

"Starfire, you know your job?" Robin asked, looking at the Tamaranean.

The alien smiled, the only one of the group who was still cheerful. "Of course, Robin. I am to watch 'the Gizmo' and make sure he does not... yank anything."

" _Pull_ anything," everyone corrected her at once, even Gizmo himself.

"You don't use any technology he can take advantage of, so if he gets any ideas, stop him," Robin said. "If he plays nice, guard him, and keep an eye on things from above." Starfire nodded. "Next," Robin continued, pointing to Beast Boy.

The changeling looked to either side. "Me?" he asked. "Uh... let me see... once the workers leave the lab, me, you, Mammoth, and See-More attack."

"We're the Distraction Team," Robin confirmed. "Our job is to draw out as much of Janus's defenses as we can and keep them busy for the rest of the operation. See-More will provide support and coordination from the air." The dark-skinned HIVE graduate nodded his acknowledgment. "Generator Team?"

Cyborg answered this one, standing next to the massive machine that he had been working on for months. "While the Distraction Team makes a ruckus, me, Jinx, Brand, and Red X enter the facility. We make our way through to the generator and shut it down."

Robin chewed his bottom lip, looking thoughtful. "Red X and Jinx are expert infiltrators, and you should be able to interface with the computer inside to shut down the generator. Fight only if you have to." He glanced at Raven. "Rescue Team."

"Once the Nth field is down, Kyd Wykkyd and I teleport into the prison area and start transporting the prisoners out."

"Are you going to be okay moving that many people?" Robin asked.

Raven glanced at the silent HIVE graduate standing in a corner of the big room. "If Kyd can take some of the load, I'll be fine."

Robin took a deep breath, let it out, and looked up at the ceiling. "Once we get the all-clear from the Rescue Team, everyone withdraws as quick as we can. We'll have vehicles lined up for the prisoners and those of us that can't fly."

"Dudes, I think we got this," Beast Boy said.

"It's a plan," Robin said, looking at each one of them as if trying to instill them all with confidence. "Everyone get some sleep. We leave tonight."

The twelve of them streamed out of the common room in twos and threes to catch a couple hours of sack time before the mission. Brand remained behind, waiting in his usual spot leaning against the door until everyone but Robin had left. He saw that the masked Titan was watching him. "I'm not sure about putting you on the Generator Team," Robin said, for once getting in the first word before the Weapon.

"I have to be one of the people entering the lab," Brand said, approaching the Titans' leader.

"Why?" Robin asked.

Brand shook his head. "Just a feeling."

The Titans' leader set his jaw. "I'm going to need more than that, Brand. We could use you a lot more outside on the Distraction Team."

"I know," the swordsman said, scrubbing both hands over his face. "But Weapon is mixed up in this somehow, and I have to see for myself. There are things I need to know, and I can't find them out if I'm outside the entire time."

"And I can't talk you out of it?" Robin asked.

The Weapon smirked. "Well I'm still not a Titan. So no." The point was arguable, and they both knew it, but Robin was either too tired to argue or didn't see the point. "I do need something else, though," Brand continued, and the smile was gone. "My sword and Lance's spear."

Robin was shaking his head before Brand even finished. "I don't know about that."

Brand leaned forward. "The lab is going to be manned only by robots by the time we go in," he argued. "I can do a hell of a lot more damage to them with a sword than a stick." The masked Titan was silent. "Did I imagine Jalascis?" Brand asked, angry now. "Why is everyone acting like it never happened? I know I didn't quite succeed there, but I put my life on the line, again and again. Doesn't that count for anything? Have I shown even the slightest hint that I'm still interested in Raven?" His face flushed. "Attacking Raven, I mean. I've done things your way. I've jumped through your hoops. I'd like it if I could – one of these days – earn some kind of consideration or trust."

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. "I want to believe that – if I return your weapons – you know now when to use them," Robin said at last.

For once there was no smirk, no sarcasm, no barbed comment. "I'm not planning on getting rid of the T-sword, if that's why you're saying," Brand said.

Robin nodded. "Good enough for now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is a complicated chapter. If I managed to pull this off and get all the exposition done in an understandable and entertaining way, then I think I'm justified in feeling a bit pleased with myself. The first and last segments are book-ends for this chapter and very similar scenes. It's about explaining the situation in a way that's not horribly dry and technical. As ever, my primary method of attempting this is to do it through dialogue. The big thing here, the one major obstacle around which everything else revolves, is the Nth metal battery... an elegant and (I believe) scientifically sound answer to the question "Why can't Raven just teleport everyone out?"
> 
> Now is probably a good time to mention that this arc (under a different name) is probably the single arc in this story that's been around the longest and was also relatively unchanged from conception to implementation. I would say that 70%-80% of the Janus arc is, essentially, what I first imagine literal years ago. I was always very certain what I wanted to happen and how it would go down.
> 
> I'm going to go back to Farscape here, which was - in part - the inspiration for this arc, at least insofar as teaming up with former enemies goes. Farscape certainly didn't do it first... the "Enemy Mine" trope has been around forever, but I was particularly inspired by the "Liars, Guns, and Money" trilogy of episodes. That's also where I got the phrases "With Friends Like These..." and "a not so simple plan".
> 
> As cool as teaming up with the HIVE and Red X is, it also makes my job harder. I now have twelve characters I have to keep track of and utilize. We'll see if I can handle it.
> 
> Thanks for reading, tell me what you think.


	20. Janus III: Assault

The north guard tower of the Janus facility was identical to the others in every way; a tall, square structure of unadorned gray bricks, topped by an overhanging square roof of greater area than the tower itself, making it look as if the tower were wearing a graduation cap. Under the brim of the "cap", where the eyes would be, windows formed a full circuit around the building, looking out across the landscape. Gaps under those windows allowed the personnel within to fire weapons from the safety of the structure.

According to Kid Flash's schematics, the towers were also warded by various electronic and visual sensors. Even the roof of the building was covered with pressure sensors. It would have been difficult for Gizmo to get near the place if he weren't partnered with Starfire. His own jet pack would have made far too much noise, but the alien girl carried him through the night air, silent and invisible in the dark clothes they had worn.

When they were above the brim of the tower, Starfire lowered the tiny HIVE mechanic down using a thin cable. Gizmo descended like a spider – an impression strengthened by the insect-like goggles he wore – until he was just barely peeking under the edge of the building. From out of the ever-present metallic backpack that he wore, a specialized attachment unfolded. It was a long, thin, articulated arm that crept downwards until it was level with the gaps under the windows. A display inside Gizmo's goggles allowed him to view the interior of the tower through the camera at the end of the armature: Two guards, both seated in front of electronic displays.

He blinked rapidly behind the lenses. He had to move quicker before all the blood rushed to his head. An identical arm extended from the other side of his backpack to join the first, each of the cameras pointed to a different guard. Gizmo held his breath, trying to move as little as possible, every motion magnified alarmingly in the tiny cameras. A gust of wind sent him swaying and he cursed in the silence of his mind. At least Starfire, with her Tamaranean strength, could hold him like this almost indefinitely, but there were still environmental factors to consider.

One of the guards turned towards him. Gizmo's entire body tightened. The guard squinted, seeming to see something unusual out the window. _Gotta' do it now!_ Gizmo thought. He touched a button on his belt, and lances of light leapt out from the ends of the robotic arms, through the gaps, and impacted against the guards. They both collapsed instantly. The little man let out his breath in a huff of relief, retracted the arms, and extended a set of four metal legs from his backpack. They grasped the structure and pulled him close to it, allowing him to slip inside the tower.

By the time Starfire joined him, Gizmo already had the two stunned guards trussed up, mumbling to himself the whole time. It would have been much easier to just kill the duo, but the Titans had all been insistent on doing this without any casualties.

"Do you require any assistance?" the tall redhead asked, leaning down to check on the guards.

Gizmo rolled his eyes and jumped onto a chair that one of the guards had been using. He pulled the keyboard close and started his initial forays into the system. "Just stay out of my way, and make sure no one outside gets too curious." He yanked some cords from his backpack and plugged them into the hard drives to interface with the system directly.

Starfire nodded. "As you wish," she said. "I will inform Robin that stage one is complete." Gizmo grunted, already deep into his hacking.

* * *

"Hacking Team is in position," Starfire's clear voice came over the earpiece that Robin wore. He was at the staging point with the remaining ten members of the assault squad and the two vehicles they had arrived in. Cyborg – using his disguise of "Stone" - had purchased two old school buses in Bridgetown, and he and Brand had driven them here to be used as transport once the prisoners were freed. A hasty coat of dark paint camouflaged them in the night.

The entire group was jumpy and nervous, their breaths coming in quick puffs of vapor in the cold night. The very idea of a mission this big was more than most of them had ever contemplated, and with the stakes as high as they were... well, Robin couldn't blame anyone for feeling anxious. He wished he had been able to find a way to avoid attacking the Janus facility, but the others had been right; they couldn't allow even the government to keep those captives. Only Raven and Kyd Wykkyd seemed calm, but Robin had known Raven long enough now to see the worry in her eyes, though she gave no outward sign of being nervous.

Robin took a deep breath, then a long exhale. This was a hell of a hot potato for him, too. He just hoped he wouldn't drop it. "The Hacking Team is gaining access to the system now," the masked Titan said. He pointed to Cyborg's group. "Get into position, Generator Team." The bionic Titan led Brand, Red X, and Jinx off into the darkness. "Same with us, Distraction Team," he added. He threw a glance at Raven before he led his own team of Beast Boy, Mammoth, and See-More to the perimeter of the area that Janus guarded. The sorceress gave him a nod of support. It was all he needed.

As they got close, he motioned his team to get down. They, too, wore dark clothes, but it was much harder to hide with the massive Mammoth sticking over two feet into the air even when he was crawling on his belly. Robin brought his team to a halt just outside the zone where the electronic surveillance began. He brought a pair of binoculars to his masked eyes and peered through them, scanning the north face of the low, flat bunker that was the Janus laboratory, noting the partially disguised doors on either side of the back exit they were looking at.

The south side was where the main entrance was located, and – hopefully – where all the civilians would go once Gizmo had worked his electronic magic. The back exit would be the most obvious way in for the Generator Team, which is why they weren't going to use it. Kid Flash's schematics had revealed that the disguised doors were where the robo-guards were stored. Once the Distraction Team got started, those hangars would empty out, allowing the Generator Team to gain access that way. It would be only a small advantage, but Robin was going to take whatever he could get.

For now, though, they could only wait. The boy wonder pulled several objects from his utility belt with exaggerated care, preparing them for the opening salvo. He heard someone shifting in the grass behind him and looked over his shoulder to see Beast Boy squirming uncomfortably on the ground. "What's wrong?" he said in a low voice, concerned.

"Dude, I gotta' go," the changeling whispered back.

Robin narrowed his eyes behind his mask. "How many times did we tell you to go before the mission?"

"I _did_ go before the mission!" Beast Boy hissed back.

"Deal with it," Robin growled, and turned away. After a few moments, he heard a louder rustling behind him and turned towards Mammoth. "What is it?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Mammoth looked embarrassed. "I gotta' go now, too," he said.

Robin sighed and lowered his face into the grass. _We're dead_ , he thought.

The radio crackled in his ear. "Hacking Team here," Gizmo's voice came over the receiver. "I have some good news, and some bad news."

"What's the good news?" Robin asked.

Gizmo sounded smug. "I got into their system and I have a whole set of possible alarms to use."

"And the bad news?"

"It looks like any alarm I set off won't do a frinking for the prisoners," Gizmo said. "Radiation leak, fire, carbon monoxide, toxic chemicals, reactor overload... no matter what happens, the doors stay locked."

The masked Titan grit his teeth. This wasn't unexpected, but it was disappointing. Janus didn't care a whit for the well-being of its meta-human captives, and would probably be just as happy if a fire or explosion killed them and destroyed the evidence.

"Oh, and there's an alarm for a prison break," Gizmo continued, "but it involves evacuating the area and triggering a reactor explosion that will destroy the whole lab."

Robin felt a surge of alarm. "What?!" he asked, pressing the receiver against his ear and trying to keep his voice down.

"Relax," Gizmo said. "I'm nowhere near dumb enough to use that one."

"That's not the point," Robin said. "This changes everything. If that alarm goes off, then we're all as good as dead."

"Yeah, but... we're not going to be _opening_ any of the prison doors," Gizmo explained with exaggerated patience.

Robin shook his head, gazing out at the lab. "I don't like it. If they tried to trigger that alarm, would you be able to stop it from there?"

Gizmo was silent for a moment. "The alarm itself, sure, but the I can't do anything about the reactor overload."

"Anything that could cause them to shut down the power themselves?"

"I don't think so," Gizmo said. "The vanilla reactor overload scenario – accidental instead of deliberate – would get someone in there to try and turn off the power, but they'd notice pretty quick that nothing was wrong with the reactor. The G-Team is going to have to go in and do their job, regardless, and I'm thinking fire and radiation leak are our best bets for getting the workers out of the complex."

Robin considered. "Do it," he said. A minute later, red lights began flashing and the hooting of alarms could be heard even from where the Distraction Team lay. "See-More," Robin said over his shoulder. "Head on up."

The dark-skinned HIVE graduate floated upwards, attached to a quick-inflating balloon shaped like an eyeball which extended from the visor he wore. The eyeball rotated to stare across the landscape, a bigger, uglier version of the binoculars Robin used, capable of seeing higher and lower in the light spectrum and looking much further, especially with the higher vantage point that ocular expert now had. "I spy with my big ol' eye," See-More reported over the radio after only a few minutes, "A whole mess of people going out the main entrance."

"That's our cue," Robin said. He gathered the explosives he had pulled from his utility belt and threw them, one after the other, towards the wall of the lab. They detonated against the structure with concussive blasts, making a lot of noise, but causing little damage. Just as planned. For a moment, that was all.

And then Janus responded.

* * *

The two large doors – one on either side of the back exit – rolled open, and the legions marched forth. Rows of silvery Z-8 robots with their distinctive silver horseshoe heads exited the building in well-ordered lines, taking up position around the complex to combat the yet-unknown threat that had attacked Janus. The threat did not remain unknown for long. Spinning explosive disks whipped through the air, detonating and taking out groups of robots at a time. The ground shook under the advance of a green elephant and a giant, red-headed teen.

Linked by the Janus computer system, the robo-guards turned as one to the attackers and charged towards them. The giant and the changeling smashed the automatons or threw them aside as if they were made of plastic. A smaller figure darted in and began dismantling robots with lethal efficiency and the help of the staff he wielded. From above, occasional blasts of energy fired down into the mechanical ranks of the Janus defensive systems.

"There's our distraction," Cyborg said. "X, you've got point." Red X gave a jaunty wave and vanished with a flicker. The remaining three members of the Generator Team waited for a minute for the thief's report, forced to watch their comrades battle a seemingly endless supply of robots. The Distraction Team was causing a lot of damage, but for every android they defeated, more took its place.

The radio crackled. "Our entry is clear," Red X's voice was almost unrecognizable through the comm distortion.

Cyborg gestured to his remaining two companions. "Let's kick into gear, y'all," he said. Brand and Jinx sprinted towards the complex, and the bionic Titan stomping after them. He pressed a hand to his ear. "Generator Team is inbound. Start the frequency jumping," he said through the radio. Just in time. A squeal of static made him wince as the Janus lab locked onto the radio frequency they had been using and jammed it. It lasted only a moment before the linked communications system they were using found a clear band for the group to use. The frequency jumping trick should allow the squad to keep communicating for a while, at least, but comm silence would serve them better.

The trio of infiltrators kept close to the walls of the complex as they approached, not having the advantage of Red X's cloaking technology and attempting to stay out of the sight of any cameras or other visual sensors. The sound of battle from Cyborg's right intensified as the Distraction Team stepped up their assault to keep the robo-guards' attentions occupied. After a small eternity, they reached the big door that had hidden the Z-8s and slipped inside the now-empty hangar.

X was waiting for them on the opposite end of the chamber, at the head of a staircase leading down deeper into the complex, waving them forward impatiently. Cyborg sent an impulse down to his right arm – an electronic twitch that transformed the limb into his sonic cannon – and shouldered the thief aside to step into the white, antiseptic hall of the Janus laboratory, arm cannon raised and ready for any resistance that might be waiting. The hall was taller and wider than he would have expected if he hadn't seen Kid Flash's data, big enough to fit two T-cars end to end, and high enough that Mammoth wouldn't have been able to reach the ceiling without jumping. Red warning lights throbbed in time, the only sign of the alarm that Gizmo had set off. The little man must have silenced the matching klaxon. A small mercy.

It was also empty, stretching forward a hundred feet before it split left and right.

The thief, the hexer, and the Weapon followed in response to Cyborg's wave. None of the others looked quite right. X and Brand were both moving as if shell-shocked, stiff and slow. It was more noticeable with Brand, whose face wasn't covered with a mask. His jaw was set and his eyes stared. Jinx was pale.

"How are you holding up, Jinx?" Cyborg asked, at least able to guess what was wrong with her. They were well within the Nth field now, and the hexer would no longer have access to her powers until they disabled the generator.

She glanced at him. "Sick to my stomach, but I'm good to go." The pink-haired Titan waved his concern away. "Don't worry about me. Worry about the prisoners."

"Right..." Cyborg said. "What about you two? All aboard?"

Red X gave a distracted nod. "Let's get this over with," Brand growled, hiding his obvious discomfort under his usual anger.

The bionic Titan made a face, but double-tapped his comm, the signal that the Generator Team was inside the facility and ready to proceed. He waited a few moments, then repeated the signal to make sure the others outside had heard it. "Okay, folks, that's it," he reported. "We're on the clock now. Let's go." He gave a nod to Red X, indicating that he should take point again.

_Let's go_.

* * *

Inside the guard tower, Gizmo's hands were flying across the keyboard, scrambling sensor data to help hide the Generator Team from detection, giving conflicting orders to the Z-8s outside, and overriding any attempt to shut down the fire and radiation alarms that he had activated to evacuate the complex. Even with all that going on, the HIVE graduate had enough time to try to indulge his curiosity. He blocked another override attempt and finessed his way through another firewall.

A list of files greeted his eyes and he cackled to himself. Let the snot-faced heroes waste their energy freeing the prisoners... Gizmo would be the one to come away with the real prize: Janus's research data. Already, the diminutive genius's head was filled with images of the kind of money he could get for selling the information.

But even as he attempted to open the first of the files to start a download, a window popped up on the display informing them that he didn't have access and kicked him back to more basic menus he had been restricted to before. The blood drained from Gizmo's bald head. His access had been changed. That could mean only one thing...

Someone was counteracting his hacking.

He grit his teeth and redoubled the pace of his typing, regaining the ground he had lost. Curses spilled from his lips, an unconscious habit, getting louder as he had to devote more and more effort to keeping himself in the Janus system.

"Is something wrong, the Gizmo?" Starfire asked from outside the window.

"Gunk-eating, toe-jamming, show-off!" Gizmo muttered to himself, taking no notice of the alien girl. At least, at first. Then he became aware of a ball of green plasma only inches from his face. His hands froze, and he stopped mumbling.

Starfire stared down at him. "My task is to guarantee that you do not betray us," she said, her voice sweet, but there was a core of steel behind the sugar. "I trust that you are doing your utmost to assist our comrades."

Gizmo could only stare at the sphere of emerald fire that encased the girl's fist. "Yeah," he said at last. "Everything's just great." The green light went out and Gizmo let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding.

"I should hope so," Starfire said. "Call me if the situation changes."

The HIVE graduate gulped and watched the Tamaranean girl fly outside to patrol again. Shaken, Gizmo went back to the computer, working harder than ever, not wanting to have to explain to the alien princess that he had met his match and was engaged in a battle as intense as the one raging outside to keep himself connected to Janus.

* * *

"Well that didn't take long," Brand said sourly, arms crossed over his chest. The Generator Team had hit its first major hurdle less than ten minutes into its infiltration: a group of armed Z-8s patrolling the most direct path to their goal. The four of them had hesitated, unsure if attacking the robots would give them away and draw more units to their location, but it was already too late, the sophisticated sensors of the androids had detected them and the silver constructs struck. The Z-8s themselves had posed no problem, even with Jinx unable to do more than draw fire, but a door had slammed shut behind the robots, blocking the way to the generator. The barrier was so thick and heavy that not even Cyborg could open or blast through it.

"No operation ever goes off without a problem," the bionic Titan said, searching the surface of the door for some kind of manual or emergency release. The Weapon only grunted in response.

Jinx leaned against a nearby wall, looking ill from her exposure to the Nth field. "Do you think Gizmo can open it from where he is?" she asked.

"We're supposed to be running silent," Red X reminded the hexer. "No more comm traffic than necessary." The thief shrugged. "Let's just find another way around."

"And what if the other way is blocked, too?" Jinx countered. "We can't waste the time. The Distraction Team can't hold off forever." She looked at Cyborg. "I think this qualifies as an emergency."

The dark-skinned Titan nodded and pressed a hand to his head. "G-Team to H-Team, come in," he said. Nothing. He bit his lip, not wanting to repeat himself, but unsure if his message had gotten through.

Just when he was about to hail the Hacking Team again, the radio crackled. "H-Team here." Even through the static distortion, Gizmo sounded harried.

"We have a door that needs opening," Cyborg said, glancing at Jinx, who shrugged. X had gone back down the hall to check their trail for any additional robots.

Another long silence followed. "Open it yourselves," Gizmo said at last, sounding even more annoyed than before, maybe even frightened. "I already have my hands full here." Before Cyborg could press the issue, the comm clicked as the HIVE genius closed the connection.

"Little weasel," Brand said under his breath.

"Gizmo's a creep," Jinx said, "but I know him. That wasn't him just being a jerk, I can tell he's working his tiny butt off out there."

Brand smirked. "With us or against us?" he asked. Jinx glared at the Weapon.

In the meantime, Cyborg had moved down the hall until he had found a terminal midway up the wall. He tapped a few buttons at the computer console experimentally. "Gizmo ain't the only one who can hack a computer," the Titan reminded them. "I'll get this door open."

"How long is this going to take?" Brand asked. Cyborg just shook his head. "Then I'll go and do what X suggested," the swordsman continued, "try to find another way around."

"Fine, but take Jinx with you," Cyborg said, not turning away from the computer.

The pink-haired hexer made a face. "No way," she said. "I'm staying here. Someone's got to watch your back."

Cyborg glanced at the girl. "No offense, but without your powers, you can't exactly..." he trailed off, seeing the look on Jinx's face. She walked over to one of the shattered Z-8's and yanked a plasma rifle from its metallic hands. Expertly, she checked the charge on it and reactivated the weapon, which hummed in readiness.

"Better?" she asked.

Brand smiled in spite of the situation, amused at Jinx's moxie. "Guess I'll take X along instead," he said. The thief was just returning from his scouting foray, and the Weapon pointed at him. "You wanted to find another route? Let's go."

"Just don't slow me down, kid," Red X replied.

* * *

The assassin and the thief moved quick but cautious through the wide, abandoned corridors of the Janus facility, the red alarm lights flashing in an unbroken rhythm as they traveled. No doors blocked their path and no robots appeared to challenge them. Still, Brand couldn't shake a sense of unease that grew with every step. It had begun as soon as the team had entered the facility, and it was keeping him off-balance, almost dizzy.

_Could the Nth metal be affecting me, too?_ He wondered. But that shouldn't have been possible. There was nothing magical about his abilities or his enhancements. Certainly, his strength and speed hadn't been affected. So what was it? He shook himself, trying to shed the unwelcome sense of paranoia the way a dog shook itself dry.

So far, the duo had retraced their steps through the facility, but now they took the other branch at the first intersection the Generator Team had spotted after their entrance. After another minute of travel through hallways broken only by unmarked doors on either side, they reached a new intersection and slowed to a halt. "Which way?" Brand asked.

X hesitated, then pointed right. The masked man turned and started along the right branch, moving slower than he had been. The swordsman followed, his own movements stiff. There was something about this place... and Red X seemed to feel it, too.

"Tell me," Brand said in his characteristic blunt fashion, unwilling to take the time to formulate a better way to phrase his request for information.

The thief's shoulders hunched a bit, but he didn't stop or turn his head. For a long moment, the only sound was their footsteps along the cold floor. "Tell you what?" he asked at last, his tone casual.

"You know something about this place," Brand pressed. "What is it?"

X laughed darkly. "Afraid I'm going to spill your secret, kid?" he asked.

The white-haired swordsman froze in his steps. "What the hell are you talking about?" Brand said. Red X stopped and turned towards him, the eye-holes of his mask widened in disbelief.

At that moment, hidden panels in the walls slid open and a troop of Z-8s and Weapon drones marched out. Brand swore and yanked his sword free. His real sword, the weapon that had been taken from him when he had returned to Titans' Tower and asked for sanctuary. The weight of the blade was both familiar and alien to him after all this time, but he didn't hesitate. These weren't biological enemies, they were just mindless, soulless machines created only to destroy.

His mind sorted through possibilities and threats without conscious consideration, his combat training coming to the fore, feet already carrying him towards the greatest threat, a Z-8 with a plasma weapon almost in line to take a shot. He noted that Red X was also in motion, rotating, X-shaped blades growing from the back of his hand and accelerating to buzz-saw speeds.

The two of them crossed back and forth, each picking their own targets without speaking, dismantling the robots with lethal efficiency. Brand tried to bury his elation at feeling his weapon slicing through the attacking drones with ease. He almost found himself smiling at the remembered sensation of disarming a Weapon robot and bisecting it on the backswing.

A grunt of pain broke through the dark glee of the battle, bringing Brand back to reality. He cut down the last of his opponents and turned around to find X doing the same to his. A dark red line of blood had appeared on the thief's left leg, a glancing blow from some Weapon drone, and – even through the mask – it was clear that Red X was wincing as he put his weight on that side.

"You all right?" Brand asked, lips a thin line. His enjoyment of the brief battle had faded, leaving him feeling guilty. It wasn't supposed to be fun. He could almost feel Raven staring at him with disapproval in her eyes.

The masked thief knelt and ran a finger along his wound. A bright red bandage dispensed from the gloved hand, covering the bloody line in his calf. "Good to go," X responded with studied indifference. Before Brand could follow up, the other man was already up and moving again, quick despite his new limp. The swordsman sheathed his weapon, his discomfort returning in full force now that the fight was over.

Red X had already turned the corner before Brand caught up to him. The thief had stopped short and it was easy to see why. At the end of the long corridor, another thick metal door identical to the one they had left Cyborg and Jinx to try and open had blocked any further progress.

"Damn," Brand hissed. "Waste of time." He hoped that Cyborg had had better luck on his end. The Distraction Team could only fight for so long before someone realized that they were just stalling for time. The Generator Team had to reach their objective soon.

"Whatever," X said with another shrug. "We'll just check the other fork." The masked man turned and started walking back the way they had come, favoring his left leg only slightly, but Brand's hand shot out and caught the thief by the upper arm. X looked down at the hand gripping his arm, then up at the swordsman's face. "Problem?"

The white-haired young man turned his head to look into the expressionless mask. "What were you talking about earlier?" he asked.

X's head tilted slightly, as if he was confused. "You really don't know, do you," he said. It wasn't a question. "But you have to, I can tell. You know about this place, too."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Brand growled.

The masked thief seemed suddenly angry. He yanked his arm free and shoved the Weapon against the nearby wall, one of the countless doors within arms reach. "Don't you know where we are? What this place is?" X asked, his voice angry and loud.

Brand was too surprised to break free from the other man's grip. "It's a facility for studying meta-humans," he answered.

Red X shook his head. "That's only part of it. They're not just figuring out how meta-human powers work, they're trying to create their own super-powered army."

A sense of icy dread filled the swordsman. "What do you mean? Like brainwashing?"

"You're not listening," X hissed. He punched the release on the door closest to the pair and it slid open with a sigh. The thief yanked Brand over to look into the room, which was filled with clear cylinders bubbling with strange fluids. Cloaked in the foam were the vague, naked figures of people: men, women, all in various stages of youth.

"They're _creating_ an army. They're trying to clone people with super powers."

Brand stared into the room, feeling sick. Clones. His eyes squeezed shut. "How do you know this?" he asked, his own voice quiet.

"You still don't get it," X said, pulling Brand back from the door to face him. The thief reached up with one hand, fingertips slipping under his own skull-faced mask and pulling it off his head, revealing his true face to the Weapon.


	21. Janus IV: Descent

_Previously..._

_After their return from Tamaran, the Titans and Brand were confronted by Jinx - former HIVE operative and current honorary Titan - who had come to Jump City with Kid Flash to look after things in the Titans' absence. Kid Flash had gone missing while investigating a series of disappearances along the west coast. With no clues to his whereabouts, the group was at a loss until the appearance of the precognitive teen, Seer, who - with Kid Flash's help - had escaped from an organization responsible for the kidnappings of meta-powered teens._

_The information Seer brought back revealed the culprit as a secret government project code-named "Janus". Despite Robin's misgivings, the group decided to assault the Janus facility and rescue the prisoners, an undertaking large enough to require specialized help. To that end, they recruited Jinx's former "HIVE Five" teammates as well as the master thief, Red X. With a larger team and a plan of action, the group began their assault._

_Under the cover of a series of distractions, a small group infiltrated the facility in the hopes of disabling the Nth metal battery which kept Raven and Kyd Wykkyd from teleporting the prisoners out. The infiltration team found their way blocked, however, and the mission has stalled._

* * *

**Hacking Team (Set off alarms to clear out civilians and confuse Janus's defenses):  
**

Starfire - Alien powerhouse and princess of Tamaran

Gizmo - Diminutive genius and HIVE Five leader

**Distraction Team (Attack the facility and make a lot of noise as cover for the other teams):**

Robin - Former sidekick to the Batman and leader of the Teen Titans.

Beast Boy - Changeling and former member of the Doom Patrol.

Mammoth - Super-powered and supersized HIVE member.

See-More - Surveillance and optic expert.

**Generator Team (Disable the Nth metal battery):**

Cyborg - Bionic former athlete and mechanical expert.

Jinx - Hexer and former HIVE operative.

Red X - Mysterious master thief.

Brand - Former Weapon assassin.

**Rescue Team (Teleport in after the Generator Team's task is complete to save the prisoners):**

Raven - Half-demon and empath.

Kyd Wykkyd - Silent and mysterious HIVE member.

* * *

"Start moving in closer to the facility!" Robin shouted from across the battlefield. Beast Boy was too busy to acknowledge the command, but he did as ordered. This, too, was part of the boy wonder's plan; a way to continue the ruse that the Distraction Team was anything but what it was. If whoever was in charge of Janus's defense thought they were just a failed attempt at gaining access to the building, they wouldn't spend as much energy looking _inside_ , where the Generator Team – hopefully – was already nearing its objective.

_The sooner, the better_ , the changeling thought, shifting from dinosaur to mammal to bird and back to mammal again, utilizing the different strengths of each animal to dismantle the countless androids their team faced. Only scant minutes had passed since the battle had begun and he was already feeling twinges of pain from the rapid shape changing, exacerbated by wounds that still hadn't completely healed from Jalascis.

Still he fought, without complaint. Anyone else would have been lucky to walk away from a crashed spaceship alive, but thanks to his friends, he had lived to fight another day. And another. And another. As many times as it took until everyone was safe. The Titans, the HIVE, Brand...

And Terra.

Because the fear that drove Beast Boy was the thought of Janus or anyone else kidnapping the former Titan and bringing her out of her self-induced exile by force. He would watch her, wait for her, dream of the day she came back of her own volition, but he would not make that decision for her. Janus had no such compunctions. They would do as Slade had done and tear the girl apart to get what they wanted from her.

_Not while I'm around_ , he thought fiercely.

A new line of robots appeared in front of them and Mammoth charged into them without fear, shrugging off blasts of plasma as if they were nothing. Beast Boy, inspired, transformed into a wooly mammoth and followed, opening another hole into the enemy formation. Behind him, Robin methodically took apart robots with his usual skill using staff, explosives, and martial arts. Energy bolts rained down from above; See-More's contribution to the fight.

The HIVE graduate's voice came down faintly from the sky. "The robots from the west side of the facility are about to turn the corner! They'll be here in another two minutes! Five minutes until the ones from the east get here, and another ten after that before the north's forces join them!"

"You heard him, team," Robin said. "Things are about to get messy."

Beast Boy – temporarily in human form – mustered a grin, glancing back at the trail of broken androids behind the group. "You mean this doesn't count as messy yet?"

Mammoth let out a rumbling chuckle. "Leave it to me," he said. "I'm good at making messes."

"It's true," the changeling laughed. "I saw their hideout."

"That's enough chatter," Robin shouted, swinging his staff laterally and ripping two of the Z-8's in half. "Try and finish these guys off just as the next group gets here."

In answer, Beast Boy shifted into a gorilla to smash some more robots. All joking aside, the lead Titan had understated the situation. In less than five minutes, the Distraction Team would be facing worse odds than they had at the start of the fight, and they were no longer fresh.

_Come on_ , Beast Boy thought at the Generator Team. _Hurry up. Crack this place open so we can get outta' here._

* * *

Gizmo had barely blinked in the last ten minutes, his round eyes fixed on the monitors in front of him. More wires had been withdrawn from his backpack, plugged into every available surface of the computer system. The pack itself was growing warmer and warmer, and sweat beaded on the undersized boy's bald head. His fingers were a blur of motion, augmenting the electronic impulses coming from his own system, scrambling to stay ahead of Janus's cyber-security.

His concentration was so complete that he didn't even notice at first when Starfire began shouting at him. It wasn't until the golden plasma beam scorched through the air outside, answered by one of the alien girl's own emerald blasts that Gizmo realized something was wrong.

"What the frink is going on out there?" he called, his voice raspier than usual with his thirst and nervousness. He stood on his tiptoes on the chair he had been using, giving himself another few centimeters of visual range.

More lights, yellow and green, were his only answer for a moment. Then Starfire appeared outside the open window. "Janus forces have surrounded the tower," she said.

A chill ran through the computer expert's small body in spite of the warmth from his overheating backpack. "They know we're here," he stated unnecessarily. His first thought was that they had traced his hack back to him, but then he saw that the answer was much simpler than that. He'd been so busy battling in the digital domain that he had forgotten one of the very simple tasks he had been given: to check in regularly in place of the unconscious guards so that Janus wouldn't know one of their towers had been taken over.

Gizmo cursed, angry at himself, angrier at the universe for putting himself in this situation. "Well that's it," he snarled. "Better call the boy blunder and tell him that the operation is a bust. We've gotta' abort."

Starfire had spun to return fire against a squad of rifle-wielding Z-8s. Something exploded out of Gizmo's vision. "We cannot give up!" Starfire cried over her shoulder. "The prisoners have not yet been rescued, and the Generator Team is already inside the facility."

"We can't stay in this guard tower, you alien kludge!" Gizmo shouted back. "And there's no other way for me to hack into Janus's system. It's over!"

Before he could react, Starfire whirled, glaring at him with glowing green eyes. She looked angrier than he had ever seen her before, but when she spoke, her voice was deceptively quiet. "Keep working," she said coldly. "They will not get inside the tower." She launched off the tower in a flash of emerald energy.

The computer genius dropped back into his chair, setting his jaw. "Idiotic, moronic, idealistic, optimistic do-gooders," he mumbled. "Fine," he said, louder this time. "I'll do what I can, but you better hope your pit-sniffing friends hurry the frink up or we're all dead."

* * *

The face that met Brand's eyes was pale and drawn, with sweat-matted dark hair and blue eyes. It was the eyes that threw him. The rest of the visage under the mask of Red X was vaguely familiar. The Weapon's own eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what point X was trying to make. X sighed in irritation, then made two circles with his thumbs and forefingers, putting them over his own eyes like a makeshift mask.

Brand's jaw dropped.

"Robin?" he asked, utterly baffled. It was impossible, but the face was almost identical to the Titans' leader's own. A little more pale, a little older, but the same lines, even the same expression.

The thief bunched his hands in Brand's collar and shook him. "No!" X hissed. "I'm not... I'm me."

At last, Brand understood. "You're one of Janus's clones."

X bared his teeth, the words seeming to enrage him. "About time," he said between grit teeth. The thief released his hold on the swordsman and turned away. "Yeah, I was... I started here. A 'growth-accelerated' copy of Robin. I don't know what they were planning on doing with me, why they cloned Robin. I didn't even know who he was until I escaped, but when I saw him on TV, heard his voice, saw the way he moved... I knew. I knew what I was. That stupid eye mask couldn't hide him from me."

"Wait, how did you not know who he was?" Brand asked, pushing himself off the wall. "Don't you know who _you_ are?"

"I don't know anything but what they told me, and what they told me was mostly how to move, how to fight, how to think." X hesitated. "They didn't even give me a name." He snorted a laugh. "But I was able to use the things they taught me to get away. Escaped from my cell, took out the guards, and just... walked away. Had to stay low after that, but one day I saw something... my perfect chance for identity."

"The suit," Brand said.

Red X faced him again, holding up one gray-gloved hand and staring at it as if he had never seen it before. "That's right. One secret identity wasn't good enough for Robin. He had to double-dip. Well I figured if he wasn't using the suit, then I might as well use it for him. It was only fitting, after all. And so I became his shadow... his reflection."

" _The one in the mirror is going to kill you,"_ Brand thought, trying not to flinch at the memory of Seer's prophecy. "Do you think he knows?" he asked out loud.

The thief laughed, but it was a hard sound. "He has to. The vault he put the suit in didn't just have a padlock... it was keyed to his DNA. No one but him could have opened it."

"Why tell me this?" Brand asked, a cold suspicion clawing at his throat.

X shook his head, taking his mask and pulling it back over his face. "You know why." He turned to walk away. "Let's go. We're wasting time."

"You're wrong," the Weapon said, his tone dark. "I'm not like you."

The expressionless mask stared at him. "Good for you," X said, not quite sarcastic. He continued down the hall, back the way they had come, turning the corner and disappearing from the Weapon's sight.

Brand clenched his fists – feeling sick – and followed. Even as he started walking, one of the side doors slid open and a cold hand pulled him through the dark opening. He didn't even have time to cry out before the door closed again. He felt himself thrown through the air, flipping over a railing and down to the floor a dozen feet below.

His breath exploded out of him upon impact and the receiver he had been wearing to stay in contact with the others flew out of his ear, clattering across the floor. The suddenness of the attack and the darkness had made it impossible to brace himself, but he forced himself to climb to his feet, wheezing for breath and holding his aching ribs. He reached back to pull out his sword, blinking rapidly, trying to clear the spots from his eyes and willing his vision to adjust to the blackness around him. For a long moment, nothing happened.

"Come on," he muttered. "Let's get this over with."

"Are you so eager for your own death?" a voice asked. An icy ball of dread crystallized in Brand's guts. He knew that voice. Knew it almost as well as he knew his own, though it had been months since he had heard it. The last time was after he had almost died, after he had killed their mutual brother.

The lights in the big chamber came up all at once, bright and glaring, making Brand squint. He lifted a hand to shade his eyes, looking up at the source of the voice he had heard. All around him, on three tiered levels were the clear, bubbling cylinders of the cloning chambers X had shown him earlier, some filled with shadowy figures, most empty. Machinery covered a good percentage of the rest of the floor, beeping and humming, monitoring those silent shapes.

All of that was secondary to Brand's mind, however. He gazed up at the person he saw perched effortlessly on the railing of the second level, glaring down at him with blue eyes filled with hatred. She was shorter than he was, but just as lean and fit, her pure white hair thick and long, more ragged than he remembered, extending past the hem of her black military jacket. A curved sword was in her hand, resting over one shoulder.

_Of course_ , Brand thought. "Saber," he said out loud, his voice low and threatening. A reflexive surge of anger and loathing ripped through his mind and body, tensing his muscles.

"Traitor," she said in greeting, her tone matching his. "I knew you'd come here eventually. It was inevitable. Your absurd little journey of self-discovery would have to lead to Janus. What is it that you hoped to find here? Looking for answers about where you came from? About what we are?"

"You wouldn't understand," Brand said. "You're still their puppet."

Saber's icy eyes glinted. "I prefer the term 'loyal soldier'."

"Potato, poh-tah-toh," the male Weapon said with a smirk. His sister sneered back and leapt from the railing, curved sword raised to strike Brand down.

* * *

Cyborg's fingers flew across the keyboard of the wall-mounted console he had found near the impenetrable security door that had blocked the Generator Team from advancing. The security here was tough, as tough as he'd seen, and he had a better understanding of why Gizmo had been so irritable when they contacted him. Still, he was making steady progress. Another couple of minutes and he'd be through. Every minute was precious, though, and he was all too aware of it. Robin and the Distraction Team couldn't hold out forever.

As impatient as he was to get moving, it was a candle next to a bonfire compared to Jinx, who couldn't seem to stand still for even a second. She crossed her arms, tapping her fingers restlessly, then uncrossed them and paced back and forth. She checked the plasma rifle she had stolen from a fallen Z-8 again and again. Her pink eyes stared at the security door as if she could melt holes in it with sheer force of will.

"If I could use my powers..." she said, "I could make this door rust away, or cause the earth to open beneath it."

"But you don't," Cyborg said. "There's nothing to do but wait. I'm almost through."

The hexer sighed. "Just hurry it up."

For a fraction of a second, the bionic Titan's fingers hesitated in their confident movements. "Never woulda' thought you'd be so fired up to go on a rescue mission. Kid Flash must mean a whole lot to you."

He thought he had kept his voice casual, but not casual enough. "What's that supposed to mean?" Jinx asked sharply.

Cyborg didn't look at the pink-haired girl, keeping his real and mechanical eyes fixed on the screen. "I mean I don't think you'd be going through all this trouble or be this worried for anyone else."

"You think I don't care about the rest of the prisoners?"

"Do you?" Cyborg countered.

Jinx moved within arms' length, close enough that the Titan could see her without turning his head. Her pink-eyed glare burned into him. "What's your issue?" she asked.

_Well too late to hold back now_ , he thought, turning his head to look down at the girl. "My 'issue' is that I'm not sure you belong here," he said. "You've never shown any interest in saving innocents or protecting people before, and we've given you chances, but now that KF is in trouble, you're all gung-ho. If Kid Flash wasn't involved, would you still even bother to go on this mission?"

"How _dare_ you?" Jinx asked, and her voice was hoarse, as if she was trying to restrain herself from yelling. "I gave up _everything_ I knew when I switched sides. I've spent the last few months helping Flash. We've done a lot of good in Keystone City, but I guess that's not enough for you."

"You're proving my point!" Cyborg shouted. "The only heroism you do is because of your boyfriend."

Jinx barked out a harsh laugh. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous."

"Don't flatter yourself. I got over you as soon as I stopped spying on the HIVE and you didn't follow me. Whatever I thought we had clearly wasn't enough to make you switch sides." Cyborg turned back to the console, re-doubling his effort to open the door, pounding the keys with far more force than necessary.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. When Jinx spoke again, the words came thick with emotion. "What did you offer me, Cyborg?" she asked. "You tricked me, betrayed me, and then you left. You didn't show any remorse. You didn't give me any reason to go with you. I told you that you could've been one of us, one of the HIVE. What did you tell me?"

Cyborg set his jaw, his eyes now gazing through the screen and into the past, working on auto-pilot. "'I could've been a lot of things,'" he quoted himself.

"Exactly. It was all about you. You didn't care what I did, what happened to me. You didn't give me a place where _I_ could belong. You didn't even try. To you, I was the enemy, and that's all I would ever be. Even now, you still think I'm here for the wrong reasons."

The Titan's shoulders slumped, but Jinx wasn't finished. "Kid Flash didn't look at me like that. He told me I could do better. And he was right."

"Look, Jinx," Cyborg began. "I'm -"

"What the hell are you two still doing here?" A voice came from the end of the hall. Cyborg and Jinx both looked up to see Red X approaching, jabbing a finger over their shoulders. "The door is open!"

Cyborg looked over to see that the thief was right and blinked his human eye. He hadn't even realized he had finished his hacking. "Yeah," he said, "just... finished it up now."

"Well then let's get moving," X said, brushing past them and advancing down the hall, limping just slightly.

The bionic Titan and the hexer rushed to follow him. "Where's Brand?" Jinx asked. Red X shook his head tersely.

"Don't know," he said. "I thought he was following me, but when I turned around, he was gone."

"So you just left him?!" Cyborg asked.

X stopped in his tracks to look at the Titan. "I'm not his keeper," he said. "You want to waste more time looking for him?"

Before the dark-skinned Titan could answer, a hail of plasma bursts stormed around them. Looking back, he saw a swarm of Z-8s and Weapon drones, all armed. Cyborg's big fists clenched. "There's no going back now!" he said. "Run!" The trio of infiltrators retreated deeper into the facility, followed by a horde of metallic warriors.

_Brand's on his own. I hope he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew_.

* * *

Despite the flashing lights and percussive explosions coming from the Janus facility, Raven did her best to meditate. She levitated a foot above the ground, focusing her energy, gathering her power, awaiting the signal that indicated it was time for her and Kyd Wykkyd to move. It was still too early, and all the two dark-cloaked teens could do was stand by.

Although she would never admit it, Raven was nervous. She hated being left out of the fight, though she understood the reasoning behind it. Her friends could take care of themselves, but she would have felt better being there to watch their backs. Instead, she was stuck here, far away from the action, unable to see or even to sense what was going on.

Not that she hadn't tried.

Her soul self had soared free of her physical body only to find a void where the facility should have been, a void formed by the Nth field protecting the structure. No information could be gained using that method. She wished her team wasn't under radio silence so she could at least hear what was happening out there.

Then there was her only companion...

Never before had Raven longed for the annoying distraction of a talkative teammate, but Kyd was utterly silent and uncommunicative, his impassive face showing no sign of emotion. The sorceress felt a brief flash of professional pride, determined not to display any of what she was feeling to the other teen. If nothing else, she wouldn't be outdone in the realm of emotional control.

With an effort, the Titan relaxed her shoulders, regulating her breathing, emptying her mind. She had to be ready when the call came.

_If it comes_.

She frowned at the treacherous internal voice. That was her fear talking, a gray phantom in her mind. _It will,_ she countered.

_But what if something's gone wrong?_

This time, Raven shook her head, denying the words, but even as she did, a premonition struck her, faint images assailing her psyche. She saw Robin and Beast Boy besieged by an insurmountable number of enemy robots; Starfire fighting a losing battle to defend the guard tower; Cyborg chased through the facility by an implacable enemy.

And she saw Brand locking swords with Saber, his sister who had almost killed them both.

She gasped and opened her violet eyes. Only a second had passed. Kyd Wykkyd glanced at her, and she sensed a question in his gaze.

"It's the others..." she said.

"They're in trouble."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Trying something new with the intro to try and keep people up-to-speed on this arc, working off a suggestion from a reviewer... hopefully this helps people keep track of where everyone is. It also references the original comic books, which - for a long time - started with little blurbs for each character next to their picture.
> 
> The big thing to talk about here is the disappointment I imagine some of you feel about the Red X reveal. I'll admit it's not the most original solution, but it's one of the only ones that fits the evidence we have: The similarities in voice, fighting style, and build, for example. Red X's interest in Robin's case in the season 5 episode "Revved Up" is another one. And, yeah, I can't imagine Robin would keep the Red X suit in anything as easily broken into as a regular vault. Furthermore, there is a precedent for the cloning of Dick Grayson if you wanted to look it up, but I won't spoil it here.
> 
> On the other side of that coin, the Jason Todd thing never made sense to me. Chronologically it doesn't work (if Dick Grayson is Robin, Jason Todd is not, much less already past the Robin stage and into the equivalent of his Red Hood phase), and it's also a... well at this point, it's almost a cliche to have someone unmask themselves as Jason Todd.
> 
> I'll touch briefly on the Cyborg/Jinx scene, which is actually something that was part of this arc for a long time, a little bit of dialogue that I felt needed to be done to tie up their nascent relationship from season 3 of the cartoon. I don't think either of them would forget so quickly, so there'd still be some kind of tension between the two.


	22. Janus V: Sibling Rivalry

* * *

_Previously..._

_After their return from Tamaran, the Titans and Brand were confronted by Jinx - former HIVE operative and current honorary Titan - who had come to Jump City with Kid Flash to look after things in the Titans' absence. Kid Flash had gone missing while investigating a series of disappearances along the west coast. With no clues to his whereabouts, the group was at a loss until the appearance of the precognitive teen, Seer, who - with Kid Flash's help - had escaped from an organization responsible for the kidnappings of meta-powered teens._

_The information Seer brought back revealed the culprit as a secret government project code-named "Janus". Despite Robin's misgivings, the group decided to assault the Janus facility and rescue the prisoners, an undertaking large enough to require specialized help. To that end, they recruited Jinx's former "HIVE Five" teammates as well as the master thief, Red X. With a larger team and a plan of action, the group began their assault._

_Unfortunately, even master hacker Gizmo has met his match with Janus's cyber defenses, and the team sent to disable the Nth metal battery preventing Raven and Kyd Wykkyd from teleporting the prisoners out has found their way forward blocked at every turn. Brand has been separated from the group and finds himself face-to-face with his sister, Saber. The Janus forces are rallying, time is running out, and the danger grows with every moment of delay..._

* * *

**Hacking Team (Set off alarms to clear out civilians and confuse Janus's defenses):  
**

Starfire - Alien powerhouse and princess of Tamaran

Gizmo - Diminutive genius and HIVE Five leader

**Distraction Team (Attack the facility and make a lot of noise as cover for the other teams):**

Robin - Former sidekick to the Batman and leader of the Teen Titans.

Beast Boy - Changeling and former member of the Doom Patrol.

Mammoth - Super-powered and supersized HIVE member.

See-More - Surveillance and optic expert.

**Generator Team (Disable the Nth metal battery):**

Cyborg - Bionic former athlete and mechanical expert.

Jinx - Hexer and former HIVE operative.

Red X - Mysterious master thief.

Brand - Former Weapon assassin.

**Rescue Team (Stand by outside the Nth field and teleport in after the Generator Team's task is complete to save the prisoners):**

Raven - Empath, sorceress, and half-demon daughter of Trigon the Terrible.

Kyd Wykkyd - Silent and mysterious HIVE member.

* * *

For every robot Starfire blasted apart, three more seemed to take its place, swarming around the tower, climbing it like metallic insects, firing into the guard room. The Tamaranean circled the structure again and again, loosing starbolts and eye beams into whatever enemies she could see. Plasma, laser beams, and explosions lit the darkness and warmed the cool evening air.

There was a certain beauty in the light show, if one could only separate the violence and fear from it.

This was a losing battle, and the red-haired alien knew it, but she couldn't give up, couldn't allow control of the tower to slip back into Janus's hands. Without Gizmo's continuing interference, the false alarms would lapse and the Titans and their allies would have more to deal with than just the android army. So she would fight until she could fight no more, giving the diminutive computer genius the time he needed to do his work. Robin and the others were counting on her to do her part and she would not fail them.

Unfortunately, the other half of her two-person team had no such concepts of loyalty or responsibility.

A rain of laser fire converged on the top of the tower, blowing out windows and melting holes into the pointed roof of the structure. Instantly, Starfire found the source of the shots and methodically blew the offending robots into scrap, but she heard Gizmo's squawk of panic behind her and his shouted, indistinct words.

When the Tamaranean princess turned back towards the guard tower, she saw a small figure leap from building. Jets of flame spurted from the figure's backpack and it soared upwards and southwards, out of danger and away from Janus.

"Gizmo!" Starfire cried, changing course to intercept the little man. "You cannot leave!"

She saw his bald head turn to her, a grimace on his face. "I can and I am," he said. "Money ain't worth much if I die before I get to spend it. This mission is screwed, and I ain't stickin' around to get screwed with it." He put on a burst of speed, the fire spurting from his jetpack shifting from red to blue.

Gizmo's next words came over the receiver in her ear. "HIVE team, the operation is FUBAR. Let's split."

"Giz, you little toad!" Jinx shouted over the comm, sounding out of breath.

_If he leaves and takes the HIVE with him..._ Starfire thought. She raised a glowing green hand, prepared to shoot the treacherous dwarf from the sky, but she restrained herself. She couldn't force the criminal to work with them and she'd be wasting her time to try.

"Do _not_ leave your post, Gizmo," Robin's voice came over the comms.

"It is too late, Robin," Starfire reported, watching the small figure diminish and vanish into a point of fire in the night. "He is gone. I... failed."

Even distorted by static, she could hear the support in her boyfriend's voice. "It's not your fault, Star. We should have known better than to count on him. Come over and join the D-team, you can't do any more good out there."

"What of the other HIVE members?" Starfire asked, swooping around back to the guard tower on her way to the main facility.

See-More answered first: "Jinx is still in there," he said. "I'm not leaving until she does."

"We hafta' save Shimmer," Mammoth rumbled.

"Kyd Wykkyd looks like he's not leaving," Raven reported.

_Thank X'hal_ , Starfire thought, grateful for small mercies. Gizmo's betrayal was heavy, but at least he hadn't managed to take his team with him. She increased her velocity, a tail of emerald energy growing behind her, eager to join Robin and the Distraction Team. Things had gone badly, but with her friends at her side, she knew they could still pull this off and go home safely.

She was still thinking such positive thoughts when a loud, protracted squeal blared from the receiver in her ear. It went on much longer than the previous ones, and when it ended, there was a soft hiss of static. Janus had instituted wide-band jamming and the frequency jumping trick the team had been using would no longer function. Still, the Tamaranean tapped at the device lodged in her ear as if she could make it work that way.

The moment of distraction proved dangerous. An amber beam lanced up from the dark field beneath her and burned into her exposed midriff. Starfire cried out in surprise and pain, and the joy of flight fled from her, sending her crashing to the ground below.

* * *

Sparks flew as Brand and Saber's swords clashed again and again. The two Weapons had circled the cloning chamber and fought their way up flights of stairs to the third level and still neither could gain an advantage over the other. Brand had spent the last months training with the Titans, fighting criminals and supervillains and taking part in an alien war, but Saber was still his match. She went after him with a vicious ferocity he had never seen in her before. His sister had always been the most controlled of the three Weapons – Brand, Lance, and herself – but there was no longer in any restraint in her style, only rage.

"Tell me, Brand," she said between bared teeth. "Was it worth it coming back here? Was this the truth you were hoping to find?"

Her namesake weapon whistled through the air and the male Weapon ducked under the blade, countering with a kick that took his sister in the hip, knocking her back a few paces. He followed up with a lateral swing that would have taken her head off if she hadn't used the momentum of her failed attack to twist away. Brand was still using his own weapon instead of the T-sword, his instinctive hatred of his opponent overcoming the hard lessons he had learned with the Titans.

This was a battle to the death.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Brand said, eyes fixed on Saber. She laughed.

"Then you're blind, stupid, or both. Look where we are, brother. Look around you. This is the answer to your question."

The male Weapon charged, sword raised. "Shut up! You know nothing about what I want!"

Saber blocked his attack easily, giving him a hard smile over their locked blades. Blood trickled from one nostril, though Brand couldn't remember striking her face. "I know everything about it," she said. "You're so simple, brother. You left us. You went off on your own, and you discovered something about yourself, didn't you? Something was missing. Behind the rage and the contempt, what did you find?"

_Nothing_ , Brand answered in his head, but he could only stare at Saber with cold eyes.

Her smile turned into a sneer. "You don't have to answer, I already told you I know everything. We don't have anything else, Brand. All they gave us was anger. You're not like other people. You never have been. _We_ never have been." She pushed harder against his sword and Brand felt himself sliding back across the metallic floor. "And you never will be. You'll never fit in with them."

"You're lying," Brand said, his mouth dry.

Saber laughed again. "Oh, Brand," she said. "I'm the only one who's _not_ lying to you." All at once, she disengaged her sword and stepped back. "But – believe it or not – I can understand why you choose not to take me at my word. Words aren't enough for you." She raised her sword and Brand tensed, but she was only using it to point at one of the cloning cylinders.

Cautiously, the male Weapon backed up to get a better view of the chamber, keeping Saber in sight the entire time, not trusting her if he turned away for even a moment. His heart was pounding and he felt sick. Dread made his limbs heavy and slow. The cylinder was occupied, filled with thick, bubbling, turquoise liquid. Even as Brand watched, the foam dissipated enough for him to see into the depths.

He was naked, hairless, and apparently sleeping; a hulking human form tended to by tubes and manipulator arms. For a moment, Brand didn't understand. When he did, he spun away and vomited, heedless of Saber at his unprotected back.

The figure in the tank was Lance.

" _Thank me, brother," Brand hissed. "Here's the 'less agonizing' death you promised for me!" Lance clawed at him for another moment, his blue eyes wide in shock and pain and hatred before his hands slackened and went limp. His head settled almost gently back into the blood-soaked sand._

"Not possible," Brand rasped as soon as he was able to. "Lance is dead. Even if they had dug him up from the desert, he could never recover from what I..."

He heard footsteps approaching and staggered away to face his sister. "You can't possibly be this dense," Saber said. "This isn't the Lance you killed, it's the new Lance. The replacement. There's one of me here, too." A slow, evil grin spread across her face, a white slash through the blood that still leaked from her nose. "And one of you, of course, though I don't know why they'd want another failure like you running around."

The male Weapon whipped his head from side to side, denying Saber's words. "Lies!" he said, his voice hoarse through his burning throat. "I wasn't created like this! I wasn't cloned! I remember when we were younger, Saber... I remember our training, our missions, our targets. You can't trick me!"

"They're creating _people_ ," Saber explained with strained patience. "How hard do you think it is for them to fabricate memories? They accelerate our growth, then flash-imprint knowledge and skills and a fictional past. _Voila_... a disposable weapon to throw at whatever target they decide to program in." She approached the tank slowly, staring up at Lance's inert figure, and the smile was gone, replaced by an expression of almost-sadness. "I didn't want to believe it either, Brand, but it's true."

"Our past, our memories, our lives... they don't exist. They never did. They were lies."

She glanced at Brand, and her icy eyes were bloodshot. "We're nothing but tools. Weapons. We exist only to kill; to serve our masters' whims, and then we're tossed aside like rubbish. That is... if we don't wear out first. Like me."

"Wear out?" Brand asked dully.

"The cloning procedure has not yet been perfected," Saber said, and she sounded as if she were quoting someone... a doctor or technician. "Cerebral degradation can and does occur."

_Cerebral degradation_ , Brand thought. _The nosebleed, the bloodshot eyes..._

His sister smiled again, a broken, dark expression. "Janus is very interested in getting a hold on you, brother," she said. "They thought you would deteriorate first. Your emotional control slipped right from the very beginning, during that first fight with the Titans, but somehow you've stabilized. Maybe it was something that witch Raven did when she healed you from the nano-poison."

"They'd have to kill me first before I let them study me," Brand swore.

A lazy shrug was Saber's response. "Either way. It's too late for me, but maybe the next Saber will be stable. Then she can complete our mission. Supposing you don't kill Raven first."

The words, spoken so casually, made the male Weapon flinch. He remembered what Raven had told him about Seer's last vision. "I would never do that!" he shouted.

Saber's eyes flashed dangerously. "You're still not listening!" she snapped. "You don't have a choice! You are a Weapon. You do what you've been created to do. Stop pretending you have free will. It's sickening."

"I make my choices!" Brand screamed. "Not you! Not Weapon! Not Janus!"

The curved sword raised, and Brand's own sword arm lifted in response, but Saber was not attacking him yet, she leapt up to draw level with the cloning cylinder holding Lance's form and slashed her sword laterally through the tank, shattering glass and sending viscous fluid spraying in all directions. The thick solution was stained red with the blood of the immature clone.

Brand watched the Lance-clone's mouth open in a brief, silent scream, then go limp, falling through the remnants of the destroyed tank and slapping loudly onto the floor amid the puddle of blood, fluid, and broken glass.

If he hadn't already emptied his stomach, this latest savagery would have made him throw up. "What... what the hell are you doing?" he asked faintly.

Saber whipped her sword through the air, sending droplets of cloning solution and blood flying. "That was mercy, Brand. And an example. Because you have a single choice available to you, regardless of what you may think: Complete your mission, or die." She stared at him, and Brand could see the insanity in her eyes now. "Weapons can do nothing else."

"I refuse," he said heavily.

"Then you choose death." Saber attacked.

* * *

The three other members of the Generator Team had been chased deeper into the facility, following as best they could the map Cyborg had, taken from the data Kid Flash had given to Seer when he had rescued the girl from Janus. Robots followed them persistently, filling the air with hot energy from the laser rifles they held. One of Cyborg's shoulders smoked from a glancing hit, but the others had managed not to get injured.

Well... managed not to get any _more_ injured. Red X winced with every step he ran, the leg wound he had suffered from an earlier skirmish pained him as he ran, slowing him fractionally, but even that small difference could mean death in this situation.

"We've gotta' be getting close!" Jinx shouted over the sound of of the chase, aiming over her shoulder with her stolen rifle to fire a snap shot into the crowd of androids behind them. She was right. The halls they were traveling through at the moment had a much more industrial feel than the laboratory and offices they had already seen.

Cyborg consulted the display built into his forearm as he ran, then pointed to the upcoming intersection. "Not much further," he answered. "Turn left here, then right at the next fork."

In two minutes they were there, led on by an azure glow and the thrumming of some tremendous engine. The pressure door ahead began to close, one similar in thickness to the one that had blocked the group from proceeding earlier. Cyborg put on a burst of speed, reaching the door before the two halves met, holding them apart through his sheer bionic strength. But even he was straining, teeth clenched, muscles taut, servomotors whining.

Jinx slipped under one arm and Red X dropped to slide between the big teen's legs. The pursuing robots turned the last corner and fired. Cyborg grunted in pain as laser blasts hit his torso, but they didn't appear to have penetrated any vital areas. The dark-skinned Titan jumped forward and the pressure doors slammed shut and locked, leaving Janus's androids on the wrong side of it. The pink-haired hexer didn't hesitate, firing at the control panel with her stolen rifle, jamming the door closed.

"Finally something went right," X said. "That should hold them for at least a little bit."

Cyborg nodded from where he knelt, gasping for breath. Jinx stood nearby, looking as if she wanted to help, but too self-conscious to offer. X knew why. He had seen the tail end of the two Titans' fight, though he didn't know what it had been about. _And I don't care_ , he thought. _As long as it doesn't stop them from finishing the job._

"If we can shut down the generator, we shouldn't even have to fight our way through 'em," Cyborg panted. "Raven or Kyd can pick us up and teleport us out the easy way."

But as the trio turned to the massive complex of machinery they had fought their way to find, Cyborg's expression fell. He stood and took a few tentative steps closer to the spherical construction resting in the massive chamber they had reached, which was several stories tall and encircled with tiers and balconies on higher levels. The generator itself was made of thick steel, and fierce blue light shone from tiny gaps in the housing of the power plant. Banks of computer terminals circled the generator like a high-tech nest. If Cyborg could hack into one of those consoles, he would be able to shut down the reactor and disable the Nth field that kept Raven and Kyd Wykkyd at bay.

Unfortunately, surrounding all of the complicated machinery and apparatus, a flickering force field shimmered, stretching from floor to ceiling in a complete circuit around generator and computers.

"Oh, no," Jinx breathed.

"I didn't know about this," Cyborg said, sounding stunned. "Kid Flash didn't know about this. It must be new. They must have added the force field after he snuck in the first time."

X looked from one Titan to the other impatiently. "So how do we take it down?" Cyborg only shook his head in answer. "Oh, screw that!" X exclaimed. He spun and raised a palm. A crimson cross formed on his glove, then fired outwards, a xenothium-powered blast capable of burning through a car.

It impacted harmlessly against the shield.

Another red cross grew from the back of his charcoal gauntlet and spun rapidly, whirring like a buzzsaw. X charged close to the force field and pushed his fist forward. The "X"-blades shattered against the humming wall of energy.

"It's no use!" Jinx shouted, and X could hear her despair. "We've got... We've got to..."

Red X spun to face the others, seeing the lines in Cyborg's face and how Jinx was trembling, tears in her eyes. "No!" he snarled. "We're not going back! We're going to shut this place this down, you hear me?" The two Titans stared at him as if he were an alien, but the thief was beyond caring. Neither of them understood. They still thought he had agreed to come because of the promise of additional xenothium, but they were wrong. He had come on this mission to take his revenge against the organization that had created him, the group which had given him life without a past, without a future, without an identity.

_I won't sneak away again_ , he promised himself viciously. _This time_ I'll _be left standing while they run away. Janus can fear_ me _instead of me worrying about them._

Heavy metallic footsteps brought the thief out of his musings. Cyborg put a robotic hand on his shoulder. "It's no use, man," he said, his voice quiet, barely able to be heard over the sound of the reactor. "We didn't bring anything that can get through this barrier."

X slapped the bionic Titan's hand away. "You're kidding me," he said. "You have your sonic cannon, don't you? All that cybernetic strength? You haven't even tried."

"I can bash my head against that wall as long as you want, but it won't change anything," Cyborg said.

The thief's fists clenched and he looked down, taking several deep breaths. "Okay," he said at last, his voice deceptively calm. "Let's think about this... if we can't shut down the generator, the Nth field stays up. Not only does that mean that the prisoners are screwed," he shot a glance at Jinx, whose pale face looked even whiter than usual, "but it means that we can't get out. We have to surrender or die fighting. And what do you think they're going to do with us if we're captured? We'd be lucky to become research subjects."

Cyborg looked away. "Point made," he said, and stepped away to examine the force field more closely. "Either way, we have to make our stand here."

Red X sighed in relief. Maybe there was still a chance.

He didn't know afterwards if he heard the gun firing or if some sixth sense had warned him, but he dove forward, trying to put some of the equipment between him and the eyes he had suddenly felt upon him. For a moment, he thought he had succeeded, then a lightning bolt of agony tore through his chest and he screamed with the pain; his earlier wound had made him just a hair too slow.

Looking up, he saw – through a dark haze of torment – figures on one of the higher tiers of the chamber. Not robots, but humans. And leading them was a strange young woman dressed like a cowboy. In her hands was a smoking rifle. Dimly, he was aware of Jinx and Cyborg scrambling for cover, putting pillars and pieces of equipment between them and the enemy.

"Well, well... looks like the higher-ups weren't exaggerating, boys," the cowgirl said to the armed and armored soldiers that followed her. "You've got quite a pest problem. Lucky for you... pests like these are my specialty."

* * *

"You can't run, brother!" Saber shouted from somewhere behind Brand. He crouched in the shadows behind a cluster of machinery and computers, some kind of technology meant to monitor or control the lines of cloning cylinders. The dark Weapon-issue jacket he wore was shredded, and blood soaked through the remains from a dozen wounds. His breath was harsh in his own ears.

The pain barely registered. He felt no fear. Even anger had fled.

All he could think of were the revelations Saber had shared. Brand's mind spun, and even glancing upon the truths caused his breathing to quicken and his eyes to shut. _I am not a clone!_ He thought, desperate. _I was born seventeen years ago. I was taken in by Weapon and enhanced, yes, but I was_ raised _there. Saber, Lance, and I trained together as children. We were doing missions by the time we were... when we were young_.

Saber's voice cut into his thoughts. She was strolling slowly between aisles of transparent tanks, searching for him. "Tell me... who was the first person you killed? Do you even remember?" Brand's mind went blank. "What about our first mission? Where did we go? Who was our target? Do you remember any other cities before Jump?"

_Shut up_ , the male Weapon prayed. _Shut up, shut up, shut up!_

"Don't hide from the truth, Brand. Embrace it. It's the only freedom you'll ever have. The freedom from choice. You know what you have to do. It's what you were made for."

He remembered what Raven had told him of Seer's final vision: the vision of Raven's death. She would be killed by him. Despite everything he felt, everything he thought, everything he wanted, Brand would kill the teen sorceress. _Is Saber right? Is it inevitable?_ He shook his head. Nausea rose within him, heart pounding behind his ribs. _I won't let that happen!_

"It would be so easy... you live with them. They trust you. You could get close, take her in a moment of vulnerability, and slide the blade in..."

Brand trembled with renewed rage at his sister's words and the violation they implied. Somewhere in the back of his brain, he knew the girl was trying to do exactly that, to blind him with fury, but his limbs twitched with the need to force her to stop talking. Her voice was getting closer, her footsteps light against the metal flooring. The tendons of Brand's hands creaked as they tightened around the hilt of his sword.

"But you won't do that, will you? No, of course not. You're still pretending you're a real person. Maybe she's even made you believe you love her." Saber laughed harshly. "As if a failed science experiment like you had anything to offer anyone, much less an ice queen like her. You're hopeless. And deep down, you know it."

The swordsman was out from his hiding spot before she even finished speaking, the tip of his sword drawing sparks from the floor as it arced upward to Saber's face. The blade slipped past the long-haired girl's eyes as she leaned back, evading the strike. He had attacked too soon and now his sword was out of line. Brand arrested the momentum of his swing and slashed again, from left to right this time. Saber parried the blow without effort, cold eyes fixed on him, unaffected by the seeping wounds covering her own body.

A red veil tinted his vision and he didn't give up on his attack, raising his sword and slashing down in an overhead blow. Saber swung her own blade to meet it. There was a loud ringing, like an oversized tuning fork had been struck, and Brand's sword spun out of his stinging hands, which were slippery with sweat and blood. "Damn!" he snarled, stepping back out of Saber's range. She moved with him, sword whistling, catching his shoulder and part of his chest, slicing through the flesh and drawing more blood.

One booted foot lashed out, catching Brand in the stomach just as he reached back to pull out the T-sword. He stumbled and fell, the elbow of the arm Darkfire had broken cracking painfully against the ground, causing his hand to open spasmodically, and the edgeless sword slipped from it. Despair washed over him.

_I can't do it,_ he realized. _I wasn't good enough to beat Darkfire. I can't beat Robin. Saber is going to kill me._ There was still no fear, just frustration. Desperation cleared the crimson fog from his mind, giving him focus. He rolled aside just in time to avoid Saber's weapon, ending up on his stomach. He kicked back and upward blindly and felt the give of flesh when he hit Saber, heard her grunt of pain. Brand vaulted to his feet, seeing his sister already attacking with sword drawn back for a killing blow.

There was no time to draw Lance's spear, so he stepped forward, getting inside Saber's range and grappling her, using his size to his advantage. He only had a moment, and he made the most of it, using the girl's momentum against her to throw her against the nearest wall. She slammed back into the flat surface, stunned for a split second.

Brand pulled out Lance's spear from the special holster on his back, extending it, and throwing it in one smooth motion. It sped through the air with unerring aim, finding its target and pinning it against the wall. Saber tried to spin away from the weapon but was a shade too slow, her motion halted with a jerk as the spear caught the trailing edge of her black jacket, yanking her back.

She would free herself soon, but the male Weapon was already moving, darting forward, passing by one of his fallen swords and snatching up the other, raising it and slashing down towards Saber's neck. The girl tried to bring up her own weapon, but she was too late. Brand's attack struck home, and his sister's eyes widened in pain, her body jerking before she slumped down to the floor.

"It's over, Saber," Brand panted, pointing the T-sword at the girl's face, pulling free Lance's spear from the wall with his other hand to add threat to his words. If he wasn't so exhausted and confused, he might've felt a bit proud of himself for defeating his sister, who he had always believed was the better fighter between them.

But it was an empty victory.

Saber looked up at him, puzzlement peeking through the pain in her bloodshot eyes. One was almost entirely red, as if a blood vessel had burst. "You didn't kill me. Why?"

"You just don't get it," Brand said between clenched teeth. "I'm not like you. Not anymore. I won't kill you, and I won't kill Raven."

Hoarse laughter was his sister's response. "They've made you soft, brother. Weak. And yet victory is yours." She paused. "What does that make me?" Brand had no answer for her. "Is this the power of your love?" she asked sardonically.

He shook his head. "I don't know what that word means," he admitted. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I never will. But I'm willing to try. What about you? You said our only options were serving Janus or death... how about a third choice?"

"It's too late for that," Saber said, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes with a smile. "Look at me, Brand. I'm deteriorating too fast... already at death's door." Her lids lifted and the blue gaze found his own again. "You're the last of us now. Whatever you do, you do for me and Lance, too."

With shaking hands, she lifted her saber and extended it to Brand hilt first. "Take it. It's yours now. It's only right."

Brand set his jaw, but sheathed the T-sword and reached for the hilt of Saber's weapon. His hand closed around the handle and his sister's smile broadened.

Before he could react, Saber leaned forward, grabbing his arm with her other hand and pulling him forward. His eyes widened as he stumbled, but she was too fast, too strong, even now, and her blade slid through her own stomach easily. Too easily. Her hand was still covering his, and she twisted the sword stuck through her guts.

"No!" Brand shouted, pulling his arm back and the sword with it, but he was too late. Far too late.

Even as he yanked the sword back, Saber coughed a bloody mist, the smile still on her face, broken and hard-edged, like a shattered mirror. The swordsman knelt at his sister's side, but there was nothing he could do to heal this wound. "Tell me," he whispered. "Tell me why!"

Her head lolled to one side to look at him. "Because now you _are_ like me," she said, her voice thick with blood and pain. "A killer. A Weapon." Saber made a choking noise; the closest she could come to a laugh. "You can never escape. And you never will." The smile faded and she looked up at the ceiling. "Do you hear it, Brand? The sound of beating wings?" The eyes closed one last time and her body went limp.

She was gone.

And Brand was left alone. Shaking and adrift in the facility which had given him life.

He didn't know how long he knelt there – staring at nothing, mind emptied of thought – before he rose, muscles tight. He retrieved his weapons: the T-sword, his own blade, Lance's spear, and the saber his sister had entrusted to him. With one last glance at the fallen girl slumped against the wall, he turned and strode out of the cloning complex, heedless of the blood seeping from his slowly closing wounds and coating his body.

Death followed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really have only one thing to say here, and that's about the "sound of beating wings" line that Saber delivers before she dies. For the uninitiated, that's a reference to "Death of the Endless" from Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series.


	23. Janus VI: Sacrifice

_Previously..._

_After their return from Tamaran, the Titans and Brand were confronted by Jinx - former HIVE operative and current honorary Titan - who had come to Jump City with Kid Flash to look after things in the Titans' absence. Kid Flash had gone missing while investigating a series of disappearances along the west coast. With no clues to his whereabouts, the group was at a loss until the appearance of the precognitive teen, Seer, who - with Kid Flash's help - had escaped from an organization responsible for the kidnappings of meta-powered teens._

_The information Seer brought back revealed the culprit as a secret government project code-named "Janus". Despite Robin's misgivings, the group decided to assault the Janus facility and rescue the prisoners, an undertaking large enough to require specialized help. To that end, they recruited Jinx's former "HIVE Five" teammates as well as the master thief, Red X. With a larger team and a plan of action, the group began their assault._

_But no plan ever goes off without a problem, and the Titans and their allies faced many. Gizmo was stymied in his hacking and abandoned the mission, the Generator Team was delayed, Brand diverted, and Red X badly wounded. Starfire is missing. The Distraction Team is surrounded and weary. The Rescue Team is powerless to help until the Nth field surrounding the facility is taken down. Without drastic action, the attempt to defeat Janus and rescue the prisoners is sure to end in failure...  
_

* * *

**Hacking Team (Set off alarms to clear out civilians and confuse Janus's defenses):  
**

Starfire - Alien powerhouse and princess of Tamaran

Gizmo - Diminutive genius and HIVE Five leader

**Distraction Team (Attack the facility and make a lot of noise as cover for the other teams):**

Robin - Former sidekick to the Batman and leader of the Teen Titans.

Beast Boy - Changeling and former member of the Doom Patrol.

Mammoth - Super-powered and supersized HIVE member.

See-More - Surveillance and optic expert.

**Generator Team (Disable the Nth metal battery):**

Cyborg - Bionic former athlete and mechanical expert.

Jinx - Hexer and former HIVE operative.

Red X - Mysterious master thief.

Brand - Former Weapon assassin.

**Rescue Team (Stand by outside the Nth field and teleport in after the Generator Team's task is complete to save the prisoners):**

Raven - Empath, sorceress, and half-demon daughter of Trigon the Terrible.

Kyd Wykkyd - Silent and mysterious HIVE member.

* * *

Against her better judgment, Raven had allowed herself to sink back into the trance-like state she had reached before, when she had seen her comrades in trouble. With the wide-band jamming in effect, there was no other way to know what was happening at the Janus facility. The incomplete, possibly incorrect visions her powers allowed her to view were her only link to the others.

They were a dangerous guide, she knew. From outside the perimeter of the Nth field, she shouldn't have been able to see or feel anything happening inside the facility, but everything was connected. The actions of her teammates under the shroud of nothingness provided by the alien metal still sent vibrations through the air, through the earth, through the aether, and it was that degraded, second-hand information she was receiving. But it was better than nothing.

It took longer this time, her own fear refusing to stay buried and quiet, distracting her from her task. Behind the fear, sometimes joining it, sometimes threatening to overwhelm it, was her rage. _If they've hurt the others..._

With an effort, she pushed the thought back. Anger wouldn't help her. Fear would divert her. Silently, she chanted her mantra, forcing her emotions back, regaining her tranquility, emptying her mind once more.

_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..._

There was a white flash in her mind, and she saw – as if through a dark, grimy window – brief images of her friends.

_Robin fought with a desperate ferocity, swarmed with Z-8's and – now – Weapon drones. His staff had broken, and he was matching the crimson and sable robots' blades with his birdarang sword. All his other throwing weapons and explosives were long spent, and See-More was down, wounded, leaving the team with no ranged support._

_He, Beast Boy, and Mammoth had been forced to make their stand around the injured HIVE graduate, fighting off endless waves of enemy forces, but they couldn't hold off forever._

_Where was Starfire? She was supposed to have joined up with them, but there had been neither sight nor sound of the alien girl since the jamming had taken full effect. They could use her help, but Robin was worried something had happened to her. If she had been injured or killed..._

_The boy wonder shook his head. He wouldn't think of it..._ couldn't _think of it. He fought harder._

Another flash in the sorceress's mind, another dim vision.

_Starfire rose slowly, holding a hand to the wound in her stomach. Her green eyes opened, fixing on the nearby android, then skipping to the one nearby, then the next. There was almost a solid wall of Janus robots surrounding her. All of them had heavy plasma rifles leveled and pointed in her direction._

_She didn't have time for this. She was supposed to rendezvous with the Distraction Team. Robin was counting on her. The Tamaranean bared her teeth, gathering her righteous fury, and her eyes lit with emerald fire. In turn, the barrels of the robot's weapons glowed amber._

White fire flared...

_Cyborg peered out from behind the column he hid behind, sonic cannon raised. He had no angle to fire at the Janus forces arrayed on the level above them. It was a shooting gallery down here, and they were locked in, with only two of the three present team members able to fight. All three of them huddled together in a nest of equipment which provided barely enough cover to protect them from the encircling enemies. Jinx fired blindly up, keeping Killshot and her compatriots honest. Red X slumped behind a large computer console, wheezing for breath, holding a hand to the wound in his chest._

_Blood pooled beneath him._

_If only they could take down the force field protecting the generator. If he could shut down the reactor and switch off the Nth Field. If Raven or Kyd Wykkyd could get here in time._

_So many ifs. And none of them could happen. Nothing the Generator Team had could bring down the force field._

_He set his jaw. They had had to try. Janus couldn't be allowed to experiment on meta-human children. He wouldn't stand by and let some other kid with a bright future end up like him: a monster of science. So Cyborg would fight on and hope that some miracle occurred._

Another light, this one red.

_Brand's swords flashed, his own and Saber's, dismembering Weapon drones and Z-8s one after another. The formerly empty halls were clogged with the things, blocking his path. He grit his teeth and cut them down. Rage blinded him, disgust shook him, despair weighed him down. Saber's words were a constant cadence in the back of his head, mocking him._

_It made him feel like hell._

_He decided to take it out on his enemy._

_Janus would pay. They would regret what they had done to him, what they had made of him. Brand would show them this sword could cut both ways._

Raven returned to herself with sharp intake of air and shudder. Everything had gone wrong. She rose without thinking, amethyst eyes flashing. Her friends needed her, and she would do whatever it took to save them.

A dark shadow appeared in front of her, a pale face. Kyd Wykkyd lifted a hand, palm out and shook his head. He didn't speak, but Raven knew what the criminal was saying. With the Nth field up, there was little either of them could do. Even if she wanted to go down and add her own physical strength to the battle, that wasn't her job. They were to wait here if the field went down and stay ready to rescue the prisoners. Those were the ones they were playing for.

The teen sorceress clenched her fists, but she had her emotions under control again. She would do her job. She would stay at her post.

And hope the others would survive and succeed.

* * *

"Any bright ideas?" Jinx asked over the noise of gunfire. She peered out cautiously from the cluster of equipment and computers the trio hid behind, plasma rifle raised, but was forced to duck back almost immediately.

Cyborg didn't answer, his face grim as he took a shot at a figure moving on the level above them. The vague shape fell, stunned, but a bullet skittered off the titanium limb. The big Titan leaned back into cover, swearing.

_I'm trying_ , he thought, frustrated. Even in the heat of battle, he was wracking his brain, attempting to find a way to complete their mission, or – at least – escape from their current predicament. The only possibility was a suicidal charge up the stairs and onto the level where Killshot and her cronies were firing upon them. If Cyborg led the way, his metal body could take enough punishment for them to at least have a fighting chance, except...

He glanced over at the wounded thief slouched beside him. Red X's breathing was ragged and weak. It was possible the bullet had collapsed his lung. Even with the suit's enhancements, X could never make it out of here without assistance, and he certainly couldn't help the Generator Team fight their way out.

They would be captured or killed for sure. The single variable was how long they could fight before being overwhelmed, and every minute counted for Red X. If they delayed too long, the thief would bleed out.

One option remained which would allow even a chance for survival.

"We have to surrender," Cyborg said. The words were ashes in his mouth.

Jinx stared at him, mouth agape. "You _can't_ be serious!" she said. "You know what that means for us, for the prisoners!"

"We don't have a choice!" the bionic Titan shouted. "You think I like it? You think this is what I _want_ to do? It's either that or die here, and that won't help anyone either!"

X stirred, lifting a hand weakly to beckon Cyborg closer. The big Titan did so, angling his head to hear the thief's words. With surprising strength, Red X grabbed hold of Cyborg's metallic torso. "Listen to me," he said, his voice a pained hiss, glaring at him through the eyeholes of the skull-like mask. "We are _not_ going to surrender to Janus!" He took a slow, agonizing breath. "You don't know them like I do. These are not people you want to fuck with."

"You're going to die if we don't get you _some_ kind of medical attention," Cyborg said.

"I know," Red X said, settling back against the console he was using as cover. "But I knew this was a possibility going in. We all did."

Jinx leaned forward into their impromptu conference. "But what can we do?" she asked.

The thief took another painful breath. "I have an idea," he said. "Cyborg, help me up."

"What are you -"

"Just do it!" X snapped, then winced, his hand convulsing where it covered the bleeding hole in his chest.

Shaking his head, Cyborg maneuvered the thief's arm to drape over his wide shoulders and rose, lifting them both up to their feet. There was a shout from above, a scramble of booted feet as several soldiers re-positioned to fire on them. X lifted a hand and shouted as best he could, using some function of the suit to make himself louder.

"Hold your fire!" he cried. Cyborg felt X shudder and tense with discomfort.

Killshot appeared, peering over the railing of the upper level, distinctive with her pinch-front cowboy hat. "You finally see reason, X?" she asked lazily. "Are you ready to surrender?"

Red X lifted his head to look at the gunslinger, a motion which seemed to take more effort than it should have. "Oh, you know who I am," he said, managing to sound arrogant even through the pain. "That makes this easier. If you know about me, then you know about my suit. Very expensive, very capable." X paused for effect. "And powered by Xenothium... you know what Xenothium is, girl?"

Even from a distance, Cyborg could see Killshot's expression sour. "I know what it is," she said, her voice dark.

"It's highly unstable," the thief continued. "Any sufficient impact could set it off. Have you seen a Xenothium reaction? Remember Dr. Chang's Disintegrator Cannon? Imagine that in explosion form. This suit is just about fully charged. That's a lot of Xenothium. Enough to damage a lot of this equipment, maybe enough to kill you and your cronies."

"You're bluffing," Killshot said, raising her rifle to her shoulder. "You'd die in the blast, too."

Red X seemed to smile behind his mask. "You're going to kill us anyway. But it doesn't have to end in fire. Let us walk out of here. We live, you live, we all leave happy." Jinx muttered something from where she knelt behind cover, but X ignored her. "What do you say?"

For a long moment, no one moved or spoke. There was only the buzzing force field, the thrumming of the generator, and Red X's tortured wheezing.

Finally, Killshot lowered her gun, her jaw set. Cyborg, at X's urging, began to move out of cover, shuffling across the room to the staircase leading up, Jinx emerged from where she was hiding and followed behind, her own weapon still raised to cover them. There was a muffled curse from somewhere above, and a shot rang out. It missed the three intruders, but they froze in place. Instantly, the shot was answered, not by any member of the Generator Team, but by Killshot herself, who had twisted, lifted her own rifle, and shot the offending soldier in a split-second. The black clad figure fell, writhing in agony, blood spurting from his arm.

"Do. Not. Fire," she said, her voice cold and angry.

"That was your last chance," X said, matching her tone. "If it happens again, I set off the rocks."

Killshot managed a smirk. "It won't."

But even as she said it, there was a cacophony of sound from somewhere behind her. Plasma rifles fired, and metal clashed. A voice rose above the noise, familiar and enraged. "Killshot!"

It was Brand.

* * *

The circle formed around the standing members of the Distraction Team had tightened until Robin, Beast Boy, and Mammoth stood nearly back-to-back. Ranks of Janus androids surrounded them, weapons raised, and they advanced slowly now, as if their controlling intelligence knew they no longer had anything to fear. Their prey was cornered.

Robin seethed, fists clenched at his sides. Beast Boy and Mammoth panted for breath behind him, while See-More lay unconscious between them. All of them were wounded and weary from the battle. Beast Boy was scarcely able to shape-shift, and Robin was completely out of weapons. Even Mammoth had slowed and weakened.

One thing kept Robin from despairing, which was that their job wasn't essential. If there was any chance the Generator Team could still pull of their end of the mission, they could all get out of here safely.

But it had been so long already. What was keeping them? And where was Starfire?

It was the second question which occupied most of Robin's mind, not the mission. The thought of his alien girlfriend being wounded or captured made him almost frantic. He longed to tear through the surrounding robots and search for her, rescue her.

Or avenge her.

His fists tightened, gloves creaking. Almost as if in response to his thoughts, the ranks of androids before him opened, allowing enough space for a single figure to march through and face the exhausted group of teens. He was a man approaching middle age, with squared shoulders, jaw, and crew-cut, wearing an army-green suit. His gaze was steady and piercing under dark brows. Robin knew right away he was facing a military man.

"Grand larceny, vandalism, possession of weapons..." he began listing felonies as he approached, hands behind his back. His eyes shifted to Mammoth. "Parole violation." He looked back at Robin. "And – of course – treason. More than enough to put you all away for a very long time and make a serious dent in vigilante and criminal activity."

"Seriously?" Beast Boy asked. "You're the bad guys! You're kidnapping kids and experimenting on them!"

The tall man glanced at the changeling. "Do you see any prisoners here? Where are they? This is a government laboratory, and I guarantee you nothing of what you described will be found."

Mammoth stomped forward and the surrounding robots raised their weapons. The HIVE graduate didn't seem to notice or care. "You have Shimmer," he rumbled. "I don't care what you say, I'll get her back."

There was no reaction from the man, who stared at the gargantuan teen without fear. "We're going to be arresting you now," he said calmly. "Do yourselves a favor and don't resist. Believe it or not, we'd rather not have to kill you."

He lifted one hand and gestured, beckoning with his fingertips. A group of robots separated from the pack and approached, holding up high-tech restraints. Robin narrowed his eyes behind his mask. His mind was racing, running through probabilities and calculations and plans, trying to find a way out of this predicament.

But there was no combination of moves to escape from this trap, nothing he could do.

It was over.

Despite everything, the boy wonder found a core of defiance. "You'll never get away with it," he said. "That's not a threat, it's a promise."

"You're in no position to stop us," the man said. For a moment, it seemed he was right. Then a rain of emerald fire fell among the androids, setting off a string of explosions and throwing the formation into chaos. The military man flinched, looking up in the sky to find the source of the attack.

Robin didn't need to look. He knew what he would find: a streak of green plasma circling the area and sending blasts of energy down to the surrounding enemies. His girlfriend. His salvation.

Starfire had arrived.

* * *

Brand didn't know where he was. His rage had consumed him, drawing a crimson veil over his eyes and blinding him to all else but the need for revenge, to cause even a fraction of the damage to Janus that Saber and Janus had caused him. The loss of identity, of hope, of both past and future was a burden too heavy for him to bear, and he refused to face such a loss. So he fought.

And fought. And fought.

The Janus complex was as monotonous as it was sprawling, and he had no clear idea of where he had started, so he had just chosen a direction at random and started walking. Almost immediately, Weapon drones had beset him. Brand had bared his teeth in a predatory grin, looking like the specter of death all slashed and bleeding from his battle with Saber. If his opponents hadn't been mindless androids, they might have run in fear. They _should_ have run in fear.

He destroyed them all.

But behind that squad there had been another, and another. New wounds had appeared to replace the ones slowly closing from before. He felt none of it. He felt nothing at all. Nothing but his fury.

After an unmeasured period of time, the Weapon had realized the halls around him had changed, becoming more spare, more industrial and less medical. A throbbing thrum of sound and vibration filled the air. Distantly, Brand wondered if he had reached the generator, the room his team was supposed to have targeted.

_The mission. The prisoners. Photon, Kid Flash, and the others._

He had forgotten.

Had Cyborg, Red X, and Jinx made it here? Were they even still alive? His sharp hearing caught the sounds of gunfire up ahead. Actual projectile weapons, in addition to a plasma rifle and the familiar sound of Cyborg's sonic cannon. His mind came to the correct conclusion before he saw her surrounded by cronies. Killshot. The guns had fallen silent now and she was speaking to someone in the massive chamber, though Brand couldn't make out the words.

His vision went red again. She was as much a part of this as Saber had been, kidnapping children from Bridgetown, capturing Brand when he had temporarily separated from the Titans, and now here, attacking the other members of his team. Several robot soldiers stood between the Weapon and his new target. His blades sang as he cut them apart without pausing.

"Killshot!" he roared.

She spun as if shot, surprised etched on her features, followed by anger. "How the hell can you still be alive? There's no way you were able to beat..." she trailed off, catching sight of the saber Brand had taken from his dead sibling. "She's dead, then. I didn't think you had it in you."

"I didn't want it to be this way," Brand said between stiff lips. "But none of you would leave me alone. Why couldn't you just let me be?"

Killshot shook her head, looking remorseful. "It's not a choice any of us can make, Brand. We all have our masters."

"I'm no one's slave!" the Weapon snarled.

The gunslinger's lips narrowed into a thin line and she raised her rifle, the soldiers around her following suit. Brand charged, swords drawn back. Neither wavered on their course to the grave.

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

As if he had been expecting the distraction of Brand's arrival, Red X pushed Cyborg and Jinx back into cover behind another cluster of monitors and other equipment. Jinx could see the thief's body shaking and she wondered if he was going into shock. The white eyeholes of his mask fixed first on Cyborg and then on her.

"Stay here," he rasped.

A chill ran through the hexer with those words. "What are you going to do?" she asked, staring at her wounded teammate.

With an effort, X got to his feet. "Tell Brand the rest is up to him," he said.

_Why Brand?_ Jinx wondered. She was about to ask when Cyborg reached out with one big, metallic hand to grab the thief's bicep.

"Hey now," he cautioned. "Don't do anything crazy. We're all walking out of here." His grip tightened on X's arm. "You hear me?"

Red X seemed to hesitate, then nodded. He extended an arm to give Cyborg what appeared to be a reassuring pat on the back. A crimson cross formed under his hand, attaching itself to the big Titan's back, sparking with electric energy. Cyborg jerked in place, his face registering betrayal for a brief moment before he slumped over, powerless.

"Sorry," X said, leaning close to the inert Cyborg, and he sounded sincere. "But I can't let you stop me." He glanced at Jinx. "You either."

"Don't do this," Jinx heard herself say faintly as she realized what was about to happen. "There's got to be another way."

Red X shook his head. "No time. Don't make me stun you, too." He turned away, facing the generator. "Tell..." he paused and swallowed thickly. "Tell Robin I... played the hero." With those words, he dashed forward, faster than Jinx thought he was still capable of. Jinx ducked back into cover, huddled up against Cyborg's big chest. Tears ran from her pink, cat-like eyes. She squeezed them shut just as a supernova of red light flashed through the entirety of the huge chamber.

The flash and sound were indescribable, like being inside a solar flare. Jinx felt heat, unpleasant at first and then painful. She moaned in fear, hoping their cover was barrier enough to block the worst of the Xenothium reaction Red X had just triggered in his suit.

_Wally!_ She thought, desperate. If she were to die here, the hexer wanted her last thoughts to be of her boyfriend, the young man she was trying so hard to save. The young man who had tried so hard to save her.

Just when she thought she couldn't take another second of the heat, the noise, or the light, they were gone. Instead of the death she had feared, Jinx's slight body hummed with life. Her eyes snapped open.

_My powers are back!_ She thought. _The Nth field is down!_ The momentary excitement faded under the sobering memory of how it had happened.

X had sacrificed himself, detonating the Xenothium reserves in his suit to take down the force field and damage or destroy the generator, completing their mission. The hexer was grateful to the mysterious thief, but sorrow weighed heavily on her. _I'm sorry, X... I wish it didn't have to be this way._

The room was mostly dark now, but for brief sparks of electricity and a hint of flickering fire. She couldn't hear anything. "Cyborg?" she whispered. Even in her own head, the quiet word sounded as if it were coming from underwater. The explosion must have damaged her hearing. Jinx shook her companion, but he was still deactivated from whatever Red X had done to him.

Had Brand survived? Had Killshot and the Janus soldiers? Jinx's mouth went dry. Her – hopefully temporary – deafness and the darkness made it impossible to tell. She could be surrounded by enemies and not know it.

She shook herself. None of that mattered. She had to get word to the others. Raven and Kyd Wykkyd had to be told they could begin rescuing the prisoners. The pink-haired girl bit her lip. _If the generator is destroyed, the jamming might be down, too._ She tapped the receiver in her ear, but if it was active or functional, she couldn't tell without being able to hear.

It didn't matter. She had to try anyway.

"Generator Team to Rescue Team," she said, hearing her own voice as if it came from the bottom of a deep well. "The reactor is destroyed. Repeat: The generator is down. You are free to go."

If there was a response, Jinx couldn't hear it.

She counted thirty seconds before repeating her call. "Generator Team needs extraction," she added to the end of her message.

_Please let them hear me,_ she prayed. _Please let there be someone out there left to hear me_.

The fire she had seen in the corner of her eye was spreading now, adding a faint orange glow to the huge room, silhouetting broken equipment and the shattered remains of one of the upper balconies which had fallen in the explosion. Something moved in the wreckage and Jinx's breath caught in her throat.

"Brand?" she whispered urgently. "Is that you?"

The figure rose, too tall and bulky to be the swordsman. Another approached from a different direction. In the growing brightness of the flames, Jinx could see now that they were Janus soldiers. She set her jaw and turned away from Cyborg, pink energy gathering at her fingertips.

"I won't let you stop me here," she said coldly. She didn't know if they could hear her or if their ears had also been damaged in the explosion, but she didn't care. She had made her intentions clear. Jinx raised her hands just as the soldiers took aim.

* * *

Robin had darted forward not long after Starfire's first attack, taking the advantage of the surprise her arrival had caused to leap back into the fray. Beast Boy and Mammoth followed, Mammoth slinging the wounded See-More over one his massive shoulders. The military man had fallen back, disappearing into the swarm of robots and now he was out of sight.

_Just as well,_ Robin thought. _He's not a target_.

The odds were still badly against them, even with Starfire's power added to the equation, but at least they were still in the game, and with the androids so close, any shots they missed would only hit one of their brethren. Fallen plasma rifles littered the ground, available for his use, but Robin ignored them. He would not wield a gun. Instead, the boy wonder punched and kicked at weak joints, ripping at bundles of wires, and destroyed optic sensors.

Starbolts rained down, doing more damage than he could manage right now, sowing confusion in the enemy ranks. Mammoth and Beast Boy charged through, sweeping robots from their path.

But there were so many. _Too many_.

Even as he thought the words, the ground rumbled beneath him; a protracted shaking which nearly sent him to the churned dirt beneath him. Only his superior balance allowed him to keep his footing. Z-8's, Weapon drones, and his teammates fell to the ground.

"What the heck was that?" Beast Boy asked from where he lay sprawled on the turf.

Robin shook his head, staring at the Janus lab. "Either good news, or..."

A faint voice came from the receiver in the boy wonder's ear. " Generator Team to Rescue Team... The reactor is destroyed. Repeat: The generator is down. You are free to go."

"They did it!" Beast Boy shouted.

Robin let out a sigh of relief. _About time_ , he thought. _I hope everyone's all right._ "Okay," he said out loud. "Let's stay alive until Raven and Wykkyd can get us out of here."

"You got it," Mammoth said, climbing to his feet. He actually sounded happy.

* * *

Brand picked himself up the ground, wracked with pain, his head and ears and eyes all aching from the light and noise which had streamed from the generator room. The explosion had knocked him flat and caused him to black out momentarily. He struggled to his knees, spotting in the flickering light of sparks and flames his sword and Saber's weapon lying nearby, within arms' reach.

A shape moved in the dimness, and the Weapon scrambled for the blades, but – for once – he was a shade too slow. Even as his hands closed around the hilts, he felt the barrel of a gun press against his forehead.

His breath hitched and Brand looked up to see the barely-visible form of Killshot before him, a revolver in her hand. He stared at her, his lip twitching, waiting for her to pull the trigger.

Strangely, she didn't.

"Well?" He asked at last. His voice sounded far away, and he realized the explosion had affected his hearing. He repeated the word, louder this time. "Here's your big chance. You can finally take me down."

Killshot didn't respond right away. After a few seconds, she dropped to one knee in front of him, still holding her gun to his head. "No," she said, speaking loudly to be heard over the ringing in Brand's ears and most likely her own. "I'm not that merciful. I have a feeling leaving you alive to remember what you learned here will be far worse a punishment than killing you would be."

Brand's hands tightened around the hilts of his swords. "Killshot," he growled.

"Janus won't give up, Brand," she said. "I'll have my chance to kill you, yet." She leaned forward, and the Weapon could just make out her mocking smile in the faint light. Her lips brushed his ear. "Stay alive until then." She stood and stepped past him, keeping her firearm pointed towards him at all times.

The Weapon stayed on his knees, staring at nothing, gritting his teeth. The Janus laboratory was shut down, the prisoners were being rescued, Saber was defeated. Their objectives had been completed.

But this didn't feel like a victory.

* * *

Even before Jinx's message had finished, Raven was moving, shaping her soul-self into a bird-like shadow which raced to the now-revealed Janus complex. She had studied the plans extensively, not to mention the information she had gathered from Seer's mind; she knew exactly where the prisoners were kept. She went through the thick metal walls and passed deactivated security systems as if they weren't there. The sorceress didn't pause to pick and choose who she took, she simply gathered as many of the prisoners as she could and carried them back to the waiting buses.

As soon as she dropped off the first confused group, she was off again to get a second and a third. Dimly, she was aware of Kyd Wykkyd using his own powers in a similar way, though she noted without surprise he had grabbed Angel first, then Billy Numerous, then a younger girl who she assumed was Mammoth's sister, Shimmer. His favoritism was typical, but changed nothing. As long as he reduced the load of people Raven herself had to rescue, he could pick whoever he wanted.

It took five trips for Raven to get all the children and teenagers Janus had kidnapped, and she realized with a surge of relief Kid Flash and the boy she recognized from Seer's memories as Photon were both safe among them. The strain from so much teleportation was wearing on the dark-cloaked Titan, but she couldn't stop yet.

She paused just long enough to tell the prisoners to start getting on the buses before she opened another portal. Her soul-self slipped through the ether, past an army of robots, grabbing the Distraction Team and Starfire and depositing them back at the transports. Raven gave her friends an unobtrusive once-over as they traveled, noting the minor wounds on everyone and more serious ones on See-More.

He would have to wait.

The portal opened again. It was more difficult this time, but the sorceress pushed through the pain and weariness, sending her shadow through the Janus lab one more time, rushing down dark corridors to the very center of the facility. She gathered up Jinx and the quiescent Cyborg straight out from under the guns of the soldiers surrounding them. Her soul-self circled the chamber, searching with a sudden urgency for the other two members of the Generator Team.

_Where's Brand?_ She wondered. Raven felt an unaccustomed spike of emotion when she realized he was missing and darted back and forth across the chamber in something approaching a panic. At last, she found him, motionless and hollow-eyed in an upper corridor. Pushing back the unwelcome sense of relief she felt upon locating the Weapon, she went back to searching for Red X, the last member of the team, but she was at her limit, her soul-self beginning to tatter and unravel. She had to drop the others off first.

In an instant, she was back at the buses, manifesting in her own body alongside Cyborg, Brand, and Jinx. Raven turned back without hesitation to re-enter the facility and bring back X, but she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Jinx.

"That's... that's all of us, Raven," she said, speaking louder than she needed to.

Raven shook her head. "Red X is still in there."

Jinx bit her lip, tears leaking from her eyes. "No... no he's not." She paused, looking around at the other Titans as they gathered around the two. "X... sacrificed himself to bring down the generator. He detonated the Xenothium powering his suit, and... and he..." she lowered her head.

"What are you saying?" Brand asked from where he knelt on the ground, his blue eyes staring at the hexer accusingly.

"He's dead, Brand," Jinx said. "He wanted me to tell you... the rest is up to." The pink-haired girl turned to Robin. "And he said to tell you that he played the hero."

Robin punched his palm with one fist, anger clouding his features for a moment before his shoulders slumped. "Dammit... he's right. He is a hero. He saved us all at the cost of his own life." Starfire approached him, laying a comforting hand on her boyfriend's arm.

"I don't believe that!" Brand shouted, standing. Raven saw now how the swordsman was covered in blood, wounds criss-crossing his body in lines of red. He turned away, back towards Janus. "I'm going back for him," he declared, and started away. Raven rushed forward, grabbing his shoulder, and he slowed to a stop.

"It's too late," she said. The Weapon didn't react at first, and she wondered if he had heard her, but at last he turned back to look at her, and she was shocked to see his expression of loss.

* * *

The Hummer stopped on a nearby rise providing a view of the entire Janus facility. Helicopters circled the area now, and firefighters were combating the blaze which had spread throughout the laboratory. Rick Flag stared at the mess below for a moment longer before he turned to the big vehicle, reaching up to straighten the tie of his army-green suit.

She was already climbing out of the Hummer, a figure of greater-than-average girth and lower-than-average height, with dark skin, and hair cut short. Her expression was not happy, but then... Flag had never known Amanda Waller to smile.

"I trust you have a good explanation for this, Colonel Flag," she said in her severe, no-nonsense voice.

"I have an explanation," he answered. She said nothing, but her eyes narrowed. "The facility was attacked by an unknown number of vigilantes. Younger ones, by the looks of it. We've identified ten different individuals, though there may have been more we didn't see. They executed a plan to hack into the Janus computers and set off false alarms to clear the facility, upon which time a small group of them attacked from the south. We know now their attack was only a ruse, and another team entered the lab unseen during the confusion. That team made their way to the generator and destroyed it. One or more of their compatriots – who we haven't definitely identified yet – then managed to get inside and teleport all the research subjects out. We're sweeping the area now, but it's likely they've already escaped."

Waller crossed her thick arms under her ample bosom. "You're telling me a dozen _children_ were able to enter and essentially destroy an entire government black-ops research laboratory?"

"Yes, ma'am," Flag said, managing not to wince. "The facility can be restored, though it will take -"

"No, don't bother," Waller said, stepping forward to look down upon the lab. "With the subjects gone and telling their story, we can't have anything here for the investigation to find. Let the fire run its course, then destroy what's left of the lab. We'll roll all the remaining resources from Janus into the Cadmus project."

Flag straightened. "Understood, ma'am." He waited a moment. "There are two more items worth mentioning." She didn't respond or even look at him, and he took that as permission to continue. "One of the invaders was the missing member of Weapon Squad Five. He appears to have killed Saber."

"Weapon," Waller said with contempt, waving a hand dismissively. "Weapon was never meant to be deployed. They were just an experiment, a test run for the Ultimen and Galatea. I knew I never should have trusted the man behind it." She shook her head. "Still... he's a loose end we'll have to tie up eventually. The other item?"

"Another of the attackers, the one responsible for destroying the generator, has been identified as another missing research subject."

Now Waller perked up, interested. "Project X?"

"The very same, ma'am."

"He's cost us a great deal," Waller mused. "Bring it back to Cadmus. We'll make something useful out of it yet."

Flag didn't quite smile. "Yes, ma'am."


	24. Janus VII: Aftermath

"I don't like it," the deep, familiar voice said. His eyes were hidden behind white lenses built into the cowl of his costume, and only the impassive square jaw gave any hint as to the depth of the man's disapproval. Currently, his lip was quirked down in a frown, an extravagant display of emotion from Robin's mentor.

From Dick Grayson's adoptive father.

Robin fought against the instinctive reaction he felt as a teenager and a son and a student, the desire to apologize or concede. He sat in front of the Titans' computer, forcing himself to meet Batman's gaze through both their masks, sitting straight, but not at attention. His clenched fist was the one outward sign of his own feelings.

"It had to be done," he said. "Those kids were in trouble, and Janus wasn't going to just let them go when they were finished with them."

The Caped Crusader was unmoved. "There were other options. You should have contacted the Justice League. We have contacts, resources, ways of applying leverage."

Robin's other fist clenched. "And how long would that have taken? What if Janus had uprooted? We'd never know what happened, where the kids went. We never would have had a chance to stop them."

"Rationalize it however you want," Batman said flatly. "But you crossed a line, Robin. You fought alongside criminals to attack an authorized government facility. Do you have any idea how that affects the rest of us? It makes it harder for the other heroes to do their jobs, to earn the trust of the people. We _need_ that trust. And you've damaged it."

"So... what?" Robin asked, his control slipping. "Should I have just let Janus have them? What does _that_ do for the people's trust?"

"You shouldn't have gotten involved."

"Well I did," Robin countered. "And it worked. We didn't need your help or the League's. You may not believe it, but I can handle myself, Bruce."

Batman's eyes narrowed at the familiar usage of his real name, but he didn't chastise his protege for that. "Would Red X agree with your assessment?" The boy wonder managed not to flinch at the words, but it was a near thing. "You were lucky to not get killed or captured. And it didn't end with the mission. They know who you are now. They know who to blame and where to find you."

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Robin exploded, rising from his rolling chair with enough force to send it spinning back several feet. He leaned over the computer, staring into the visual pickup. "You're not worried about me or the prisoners, this is about _you_. You don't like how it reflects on _you_."

Silence was his response. It was enough for Robin to assume his guess was close to the mark.

"I can't let other people suffer because I have to worry about whether or not it makes the Batman look good," Robin seethed. "And you're wrong to second-guess me for it. Those kids were in trouble, Bruce. That's more important than you. More important than 'Robin' or the Batman. I swore an oath. I haven't forgotten. Have you?"

Finally Batman spoke. "The oath was for us to fight _together_ , Robin. We have to be on the same side."

"Meaning I have to be on your side," Robin said, bitterness coloring his words, his shoulders slumping. "Don't you get it? This is why I left in the first place. It's suffocating being in your shadow, and even coming all the way to Jump City didn't get me out from under it. I almost let my friends die doing things your way. I can't... I can't be you. I don't want to be Batman."

The words which came next were a painful jolt to Robin. "I don't want you to be Batman," the caped figure said. His tone was low and gravelly. Dick heard censure in those words. He heard disapproval.

"Then maybe you need to find yourself a new sidekick," Robin said, his voice hoarse. Before Batman could respond, he stabbed down on the cutoff switch with a green-gloved forefinger, ending the transmission. He stood there for several long minutes, hunched over the console, nauseous and shaking. Standing up to Bruce was always difficult, but their arguments had been increasing in frequency and intensity. This most recent disagreement may have broken their relationship irrevocably.

_How did it get this bad?_ Robin wondered, lifting one hand to massage his temples. But he knew how. The two of them were too different... and too similar. This escalation had been a long time coming, beginning with the strain of their partnership in Gotham, leading to Robin coming to Jump City to strike out on his own as a solo act – at least... that had been the intention before he had met the other Titans. Distance had not helped the situation, and his crisis in Tamaran space had only solidified his belief that Robin had to separate himself from the Batman.

He shook his head wearily. That was a crisis for another day. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," Robin mumbled to himself. And there was still plenty of trouble to face here and now. Raven had healed See-More and he, Kyd Wykkyd, Mammoth, and the recovered Shimmer and Billy Numerous had returned to their headquarters, seemingly untroubled at how Gizmo had betrayed them. The rescued prisoners from Janus were being returned to their homes with the help of law enforcement, but - as expected – there were questions from everyone. About what the Titans were doing attacking a government facility, about why a government project was kidnapping meta-human children, about property damage and working with the HIVE.

About Red X.

And – to Robin's mind – the most important part about the after-action: Making sure his team was physically and mentally healthy. Another mountain of work. Everyone but Raven was physically wounded in some way. As for mentally... Starfire blamed herself for Gizmo's departure, and Cyborg blamed himself for Red X's death. Raven chafed under the belief she should have done more for all of them, Nth field notwithstanding. Brand had gone silent and cold, but some inner conflict raged behind his eyes which he refused to talk about.

" _... he said to tell you that he played the hero."_ Jinx's voice came in Robin's memory. His fist clenched spasmodically, his eyes squeezing shut.

He hadn't come out of the mission psychologically unscathed either.

Red X had been his call. The thief wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for Robin's recruiting him. And now he was dead. It was no comfort that X had died nobly to give them a chance to complete their objective. He was still dead.

And if what the lead Titan had suspected about the thief's identity was true...

Nausea rose within him. The Titans needed time to recuperate, him included. But the healing couldn't begin until all the other business was taken care of. With an effort, Robin pushed himself away from the communications console and turned away, heading back into the Tower to get more work done.

* * *

Cyborg raised a metal fist hesitantly, pride and shame warring within him. It would be easier to walk away, to just wait for the moment to pass and pretend nothing had happened, but he wasn't a child anymore. He had to face up to his responsibilities, including the painful ones, the ones that made him take a long, hard look at himself and how he had acted. He had learned a similar lesson after his experiences with Brother Blood and the Titans East.

His titanium knuckles rapped lightly against the door to the guest quarters Jinx and Kid Flash had been given upon the latter's rescue. There were the faint sounds of activity within, and Cyborg grimaced, hoping he hadn't interrupted anything between the two. He would have preferred finding Jinx when she was alone, but she hadn't let her boyfriend out of her sight since they had escaped from Janus. This was going to be bad enough without having to face them having blundered into a make-out session. Or worse.

When the door slid open, however, it was to show an annoyed-looking Jinx holding Kid Flash at arms' length. The speedster spoke before Cyborg had a chance. "Oh, thank God you're here, Cyborg. Listen, you gotta' get me outta' here. I've been captured again. By Jinx. She won't let me free."

"You were poked, prodded, and held in a level four containment field," Jinx reminded her boyfriend in a growl. "It won't kill you to take a little time to _rest_." She turned back to the bionic Titan with a small, weary smile. "What's up, Cyborg?"

The dark-skinned teen swallowed and forced a smile of his own. "Thought I'd check on you both and see how you were doing."

"Terrible," Kid Flash said.

"We're fine," Jinx answered at the same time, shooting a glare at the speedster.

Cyborg's smile faltered. "Good to hear?" he said, uncertain.

"You think you could set me up with a treadmill in here, at least?" Kid Flash insisted.

Jinx shook her head, rolling her cat-like, pink eyes. "Just _relax_."

"I can haul one up here for y'all, if you want," the bionic Titan said. "It'll at least keep him running in one spot," he added for Jinx's benefit.

The girl sighed and threw a long-suffering look at the red-headed speedster. "This is what's called a 'compromise'," she explained. "Happy?"

"As a clam," Kid Flash answered with a grin.

Cyborg couldn't help but laugh internally at the two. Everyone there knew Kid Flash could get away at any time if he really wanted. His "capture" - as he called it – was completely willing and all his complaints were just for show, just to tease his girlfriend.

The hexer across from him crossed her thin arms and leaned against the door frame. "So what's really on your mind?"

For a moment, Cyborg was tempted to back out, and he felt his face warm, but he steeled himself and forged ahead. "I came to apologize," he said. "To both of you."

"For not having the treadmill up here yet?" Kid Flash asked irreverently. "That's okay, I'm used to having to wait for people." He jerked a thumb to Jinx. "Especially Slowpoke here." Jinx punched him in the shoulder without looking. "See? That took forever."

"Dial it back for a minute, Wally," the girl said. "You don't need to apologize, Victor."

Cyborg's lips narrowed into a thin line. "I think I do. I questioned your morals, your sincerity, and your motives." He nodded to Kid Flash. "And I questioned _your_ judgment. That's bad enough, but I did it at the worst time. If my head had been in the game, instead of wrapped up in my own pettiness..." He trailed off and shook his head.

"Don't play that game," Jinx said, her tone serious. "There's enough blame to go around. Gizmo was at least partially my fault. If he hadn't turned traitor, we might've gotten through faster, or he could've found a way to turn off the force field without Red X... doing what he did."

"And I was the one who slowed down enough to get caught in the first place," Kid Flash added, serious for once.

The big Titan appreciate their words, but he didn't come here to be comforted. "Doesn't matter. I was in charge. I let my emotions get the better of me, and – more importantly – I was wrong. I was wrong about you, Jinx. You deserve your communicator. You make a good Titan. If I had been smarter, I would've given you the chance to join us a long time ago."

Jinx quirked a half-smile at him, but there was something sober in the expression. "You can't be right all the time, Vic," she said. "You're not a machine."

Despite himself, Cyborg felt his lips part in surprise at the words, the best compliment anyone could ever give him. He actually felt himself getting emotional and he channeled it into a broad, genuine grin, his white teeth gleaming in his dark face. "'Nuff of this," he said. "I told you what I wanted to say. Now let me get that treadmill up here."

"Yes!" Kid Flash cheered, turning away and pumping his fist.

" _Thank you,"_ Cyborg mouthed to the hexer. She grinned and waved to him with her fingertips.

* * *

Raven raised her hand hesitantly, wrestling with indecision. It was times like this she sometimes wished she could be normal, wished she could be someone with lighter burdens to bear. Then she could afford to shirk her responsibilities. But she wasn't normal. She was the daughter of a demon, and she was a Titan. She couldn't let her self-control slip. Too much depended on her following through on what she started.

_He's responsible for himself_ , the slothful part of her mind complained. _You don't have to take care of him_.

But that was a lie. Raven was as responsible for Brand as Weapon itself. It was her choice which had brought him into the Titans' lives, had wrought the change in him. And now there was something wrong with the swordsman, something he wouldn't share with anyone else.

It was more than that, though. To her own mild annoyance, Raven realized she was worried about him. She had feared for him when the vision of his battle against Saber had appeared, had almost panicked when she couldn't find him after rescuing the prisoners, had felt for him upon seeing his despair over Red X's death, though she didn't understand whatever connection the two had apparently shared.

And then he had gone silent, had locked himself in his room and refused to speak to anyone. He hadn't even emerged to say goodbye to Photon after his rescue from Janus, leaving the boy crushed when he returned to Bridgetown.

The sorceress set her jaw and knocked on the thick metal door of Brand's room, the same small quasi-prison he had been given upon his first taking sanctuary with the Titans. She waited for several long seconds without getting a response or hearing any movement. Another knock. Nothing. Fear piped up, an unwelcome voice at any time: _There's something wrong with him. What if he took his sword and..._ Raven shook her head quickly, then tapped a quick four digits into the keypad next to the door, unlocking it from the outside, heedless of how she could be invading the Weapon's privacy.

It rolled open slowly, too slow for her taste, but the scene revealed to her violet eyes was thankfully much more mundane than the one she had feared. Brand sat on his thin bed, staring at the wall a few feet across from him where three weapons were leaning: Lance's spear, Saber's saber, and his own sword. He didn't look up as she entered, and his expression was blank.

Raven entered with faltering steps, feeling unwelcome. She waited for the white-haired young man to acknowledge her presence, to react in any way to her, but he didn't speak, and he didn't move. With exaggerated care, as if the silence was an actual brittle object, she knelt on the floor, her legs beneath her.

Several more seconds passed.

Right when the half-demon thought she would have to say something, Brand finally spoke. "I can't stay here," he said. His voice was flat, emotionless, as empty as his expression.

"Why is that?" Raven asked after a moment, keeping her words as light and devoid of challenge as she could.

"You know why," he said, and she was almost relieved to hear a hint of bitterness in his tone, the first bit of emotion he'd shown since they'd returned from Janus. "You saw it. If I stay here, I kill you." He glanced at her, his blue eyes glittering. "I don't want to do that."

Raven looked back at the swordsman steadily. "What changed your mind?" she asked. "A couple days ago you were sure you wouldn't. Now you're convinced you will."

"I'm... not sure I can stop it," Brand said, looking away again.

The dark-haired girl blinked. "You're going to have to help me out, here, Brand," she said. "You're going to have to tell me what happened to you in there."

He shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't... I don't even want to think about it." He scrubbed his hands across his face. "Even though it's all I can think about."

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, Brand clearly struggling, Raven all-too-willing to wait him out. "I just think I've been lying to myself, Raven," he said at last. "I don't think I can change... don't think I can be anything other than a Weapon. I killed Lance. I killed Saber. I tried not to, but she made me kill her anyway, and then..." he trailed off for several seconds, and when he continued, his voice was hoarse. "And then I fought my way through the labs. There shouldn't have been people in there, but I can't be sure. I don't remember what I did. I don't remember if I killed anyone else."

"You didn't," Raven said harshly, brooking no argument. "You told me yourself. You're not that person anymore."

From somewhere deep within, Brand summoned a sad smirk. "I don't think it's my choice to make."

"But you're already different! You've saved people. You've protected them. And you can keep protecting them."

She saw the sudden fury in his eyes when he shot to his feet, and as he yanked his sword away from the wall, she froze, gathering her power, wondering if she had been wrong, if Brand had finally been pushed over the edge, if Seer's vision were about to come true. But he only held the blade before her. "Protect them with what?" He asked. "This sword?" He threw it against the other weapons leaning against the wall with a crash, and all three fell to the floor. "Any sword?!" With an effort, he reigned in his anger. "I'm a Weapon, Raven. I don't protect people. I don't save them. All I do is hurt them... break them... and kill them."

Now the sorceress's own rage rose to match his, disgusted by his attitude. "How dare you?" she said, her voice a fire behind a wall of ice. "How dare you stand there and act like your particular brand of angst is somehow more pure than the rest of ours?" The blue eyes fixed on hers. "Don't you think I've asked myself the same questions, Brand? A million times? My powers are meant for one purpose. One."

Brand was silent for a long moment. "I know," he said at last.

Raven looked away, wondering if it was worth it trying to convince him. "Do you know... how I move things? How I heal people? How I create barriers?" The swordsman stared at her. "Every time I do, I put a little of my soul into whatever I'm doing," she explained. "When I move an object, I move myself, when I take someone's pain, I take it into myself, and when I create a shield..."

"I am the shield." The half-demon turned towards Brand again. "Because my powers don't help people. _I_ help people." She gestured and lifted the fallen sword into the air. "Your sword might not protect, Brand. But you can." The Weapon hesitated, glancing at her face again before taking the blade.

She rose without using her hands. "You're better than this," she said quietly. "I'm not saying it's easy, but you're going to work through it. And when you're ready to talk about what happened at Janus – what _really_ happened – come and find me." She hesitated. "One more thing... you remember Seer's vision for you?"

Brand's lips tightened. "'The one in the mirror is going to kill you.'"

"Think about it... what if Saber was the one in the mirror? Your dark reflection." Life returned to the swordsman's blue eyes at her words. "If she was, and she didn't kill you, then Seer's visions aren't final. They're not definite, not written in stone."

She turned to leave, her dark cloak swirling around her, but she noticed something on the small nightstand next to the narrow bed Brand used: several familiar objects in a small stack.

Poe. Lovecraft. Rawson.

Raven's felt her heartbeat speed up a shade, the red blood rising to her face. Horror books. Some of her favorite authors. Here in Brand's room. It shouldn't have surprised her, the sorceress knew how he thought he felt about her, but to see this quiet attempt to understand her was somehow shocking. She turned back to glance at the young man. He was watching her, his own face flushed with embarrassment at being found out, but his eyes were pleading with her.

Neither of them spoke, and then it was too late. The moment had passed. Awkwardly, Raven raised her hood and walked out the door, leaving Brand behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you guys have enjoyed the Janus arc. It was a big, complicated story line to work through, but the most important thing to me was to not just have complex action, but emotional content as well, which makes things even more complicated.
> 
> Nonetheless, it was a fun arc to bring together, and I can take some pride in the fact that I actually wrote the damn thing.
> 
> Anyways, one of the things that inspired me to crank out the rest of this chapter - as it often is - was me finding some more music for the unofficial soundtrack I've been constructing for "The Edge Between..." In this case, two more character themes:
> 
> Red X's theme: "Letter from a Thief" - Chevelle
> 
> And finally, I managed to find an acceptable song that would work as...
> 
> Brand's theme: "Dangerous" - Shinedown
> 
> Look forward to "Interlude III: Holiday".


	25. Interlude III: Holiday

" _As you can see, there isn't much left of the structure. All that remains are these burned, empty halls and gutted chambers. The fire appears to have destroyed whatever evidence may have remained, making it nearly impossible for investigators to determine what – exactly – happened here or who was responsible. At this point, all we have is the testimony of the children who were allegedly held here."_

Robin, Raven, and Cyborg sat on the horseshoe sofa, eyes fixed on the big screen of the TV, drinking in the news report of the Janus facility. Beast Boy and Starfire were also there, but Starfire was watching Robin more than the screen, and the changeling's own eyes were flicking between his teammates and a TV Guide. "Hey!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "There's a 'Clash of the Planets' marathon on the Spec-Fic channel! We should totally watch it."

No one responded to him. None of the other Titans even looked at their green teammate.

Raven clicked her tongue in disapproval at the news report. "Are they suggesting the fire disintegrated all the equipment, too? Janus cleaned the place out before the media got there."

" _The Teen Titans have accused the United States government of being the power behind this laboratory, implying that they were also kidnapping young people for research and experimentation. Senate majority leader Melville and Speaker for the House Payton have both refuted these charges, but Vice President Strong, in a statement from the White House, has vowed that a committee would be created to investigate."_

Starfire put a hand on her boyfriend's arm. "We have been spending much time watching news reports, Robin... perhaps we should take the break?" The lead Titan glanced at the red-head, but didn't say anything.

"Way to leave out the evidence Kid Flash gathered," Cyborg said in disgust. "We turned all that stuff over to the FBI, but it doesn't even get a mention in their report."

" _One thing's for certain: whatever happened here, it's finished now. For all their differences, the Teen Titans and law enforcement have worked together to return the lost children to their homes. The questions still linger, however, and it may be quite some time before we get any answers. From outside San Francisco, this has been Laura Linner for JNN."_

Robin punched his left palm with his right fist, eyes narrowing under his mask. "They're never going to answer those questions. It's a cover-up. It'd be too damaging for them to admit even a rogue element of the government was responsible for Janus."

"So they just get away with what they did?" Cyborg asked in disbelief.

Raven, enclosed in her dark cloak, crossed her pale arms. "We can't take the time to wage a PR campaign against the government. And even if we did, what would it gain us?"

"We have slowed them down," Starfire said firmly. "We must take solace in that."

Beast Boy tossed aside the TV Guide. "Seriously, dudes, you can't keep brooding like this. At least take it to your own rooms like Brand has."

Again, the three other Titans ignored their more optimistic friends. "Summer Gleason has a report on GCN," Robin said. "Change the channel, Cyborg." Without speaking, the big Titan did so, revealing the pretty face and red hair of Gotham City's premier news anchor in the middle of her own newscast.

The emerald changeling sighed loudly and slid off the couch. "I'm going to find something more fun," he said, annoyed. "Like an intervention." He slunk out the big open door of the living room, shoulders slumped.

Starfire hung in there for a few more minutes, but the second news broadcast was no different than the first, and the mood of her friends did not improve. Eventually, she too stood and left – unnoticed by the others.

* * *

_Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump._

Bare green feet thudded repeatedly against the wall of Beast Boy's bedroom. The room – as ever – was a mess of discarded clothes and games and trinkets. A pile of chew toys rested half-covered in one corner. Empty pizza boxes were stacked near the bed. None of the posters on the wall seemed to have been hung correctly, and the desk along one wall had been completely covered for as long as the occupant could remember.

A large picture window took up nearly half the opposite wall. The curtains were open, but all it revealed was the gray, wintry sky of late November. There was no more cheer outside the tower than inside.

_Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump._

Beast Boy lay back cross-wise on the bottom bunk of his bunk-bed, feet up on the wall, head hanging back down over the edge of the mattress. Electronic beeps and buzzes filled the room courtesy of the handheld gaming device the changeling held. He hummed along with the digital music emanating from the small system, tapping his feet in time with the beat and losing himself in the familiarity of the game.

_Thump-Thump. Tap-tap-tap. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. Tap-tap._

The shapeshifter frowned, lifting his head to peer up at his own green feet. The thumps were his. Where had the taps come from?

_Tap-tap._

"Friend Beast Boy," Starfire's clear voice called through the door. "I can hear you are in there. Please allow me to enter."

"Come on in," the young Titan said, letting his head drop back. From his vantage point, he saw his door open and Starfire step inside, walking on what appeared to him to be the ceiling. She stopped several feet away. "What's up, Star?" he asked.

An expression of uncertainty crossed the alien girl's face. "The same direction it has always been when on the surface of a planet, Beast Boy. You may be confused because you are hanging upside-down."

"Just call me Bat Boy," the boy said with a grin. He transformed into a bat and hung down from the bottom of the top bunk, letting the gaming system drop to the floor.

"Very well," Starfire said, more doubtful than before. "I require your help with something, Bat Boy."

The changeling shifted back to his human form and fell to the mattress, holding his stomach and laughing long and loudly. "You crack me up," he said between peals of laughter.

"This is no laughing matter," the Tamaranean princess insisted. It took a minute, but her tone finally convinced Beast Boy she had something serious on her mind. "You have seen our friends," she said once his mirth had subsided. "They are all angry... depressed. I fear the strain of our recent adventures is affecting them deeply."

Beast Boy swung his legs over the edge of the bed and looked down. "Yeah, well, it's been tough for all of us," he reminded the girl. "It was okay for a little bit when Kid Flash and Jinx were still here, but ever since they left, it's been hard not to think about things."

"Yet you are not dwelling on the negative events which have occurred. As I am trying not to."

"The others sulk all the time," Beast Boy hedged. "Raven and Brand especially. And you know how Robin gets when he has something stuck in his craw. Cyborg, too, when he gets in a mood."

Starfire began pacing around the small room, hands up to her face, fretting. "All four of them are in 'the mood'," she said. "It cannot be healthy. Something must be done. They need to be reminded of our friendship, of the good things, that we are alive and together."

The changeling watched the red-head walk, his green eyes moving back in forth in time with her movements. "What do you have in mind?" he asked, curious now.

Her pacing stopped, and she turned to face him, a small smile on her face. "I believe I have an idea."

* * *

Three days later, Raven strode down the halls, heading towards the living room, a thick book under one arm. Peripherally, as she approached the room, she noted the big door was shut. Unusual. She drew closer and the door stubbornly stayed that way rather than sliding open when she closed within range. For a moment she stood there, blinking at the barrier.

It took several seconds for her annoyance to catch up to her body. One eye twitched and she stepped over to the nearby keypad to enter in her override code. The small computer beeped stridently, rejecting the four-digit number.

"Hey dudes or dudette," Beast Boy's voice came from the console. "Sorry, but the living room is closed today. We'll be back in business around five this evening. Please come back then."

Raven's lip twisted down. "Beast Boy," she said in a low growl. She entered her code again, more in denial than in any expectation that anything would be different.

"Hey dudes or dudette. Sorry, but the living room is closed -"

The sorceress stepped closer to the door, her irritation increasing as the recording played again. "If you don't open this door, I'm going to blow it through the room and out the window," she called through the metal.

Faintly, she heard the scurry of activity and two panicked voices.

The door opened a crack and Starfire's red hair and smiling face filled the few inches of space, blocking Raven's view of the big room. "Friend Raven!" the alien chirped in a high voice, and instantly the cloaked girl was on her guard. She had grown familiar enough with the Tamaranean to know when she was only playing at innocence. The more adorable Starfire became, the more likely it was that the taller girl was hiding something.

"What are you up to, Starfire?" Raven asked bluntly.

An exaggerated frown crossed the alien's smooth face. "Beast Boy asked a similar question not long ago," she said. "Is there something wrong with the gravity on this planet?"

With an effort, the sorceress kept herself from rolling her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"I am sorry, Raven, but the idiom of Earth is just so difficult to grasp." Another bright smile. "I just do not understand what -"

"I'm coming in," Raven interrupted. One half of the door took on a black glow as she reached out with her power.

Starfire yelped, and grabbed the door as it began to open, pitting her alien strength against her friend's telekinesis. The metal barrier trembled with the strain, and Raven's forehead creased in concentration. "Please, Raven, you must listen. It is not my intent to deceive you, but I cannot tell you what we are doing and I cannot let you in."

Violet eyes narrowed. "I don't like surprises," Raven said.

"This should not be a surprise," Starfire responded. She glanced aside as Beast Boy's voice came from somewhere in the vicinity of the kitchen.

"Hey, Star! Get rid of her! I need a hand with this!"

"One moment!" the Tamaranean called back. She turned to face Raven again. "Please. Trust me."

The sincerity in the alien girl's clear voice and green eyes was hard to ignore. Reluctantly, Raven released her mental hold on the door. Starfire let out a sigh of relief. The sorceress's expression did not lighten, however. "I don't like surprises," she said again, lower this time.

Starfire chuckled nervously. "We will... keep that in mind."

Raven held her glare for another several seconds before turning away. As she walked back to the elevator, the Tamaranean called out, her face still framed in the crack between the two halves of the door. "Friend Raven... we will allow everyone back in at five tonight. Please return at that time."

Throwing a brief nod of acknowledgment at the other girl, Raven continued on her way.

* * *

Tugging uncomfortably at the long-sleeved shirt he wore tucked into a pair of tan dress pants, Robin approached the door to the living room with eight minutes to spare. Raven and Cyborg were already there, the former in a dark blouse and pants, the latter wearing bottoms similar to Robin's, but wearing a blue sweater that somehow made him look even bigger than usual.

"There he is," Cyborg said darkly. "You ready to explain what the heck is going on here?"

Robin shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said.

The sorceress frowned, crossing her pale arms. "You're the one who told us to dress up and make sure we were here before five." Her amethyst eyes cut to Robin's face. "Speaking of which... why are you still wearing your mask?"

The lead Titan glanced around and lowered his voice. "Brand's supposed to be coming, too," he reminded them. Raven's frown deepened, but she didn't object. "Anyways," he continued, "Starfire told me to order you guys to dress up and assemble here."

"Man, you are so whipped," Cyborg said, a small smile on his face, shaking his head. Robin glared at his friend.

"I didn't see any reason to say no," the boy wonder explained. "We all would've been up here to see what the two of them were up to all day anyway." No one refuted his statement.

Another three minutes passed before the trio heard footsteps and saw Brand approaching. His feet dragged slightly, his hair was mussed, and the beginnings of a beard trailed down both cheeks, but he wore dark slacks and a black turtleneck. The Weapon glanced up at them as he approached, his blue eyes lingering for a moment on Raven before he looked away.

He mustered up a weak smile. "So what's going on?" he asked. "Are we getting our class pictures taken?" Cyborg snorted a laugh.

"We'll find out in a few minutes," Robin said. "Where'd you get the clothes?"

Brand plucked at his dark shirt. "Found it in front of my door, same as last time."

The last few minutes crawled by, the four of them fidgeting and twitching with irritation and boredom. Faint sounds emanated from behind the door; scrapes and bumps and muffled voices. Brand attempted to fix his hair, seeming even more self-conscious than the rest of them, ill-at-ease in his new clothes.

As it drew closer to five o'clock, the four of them lined up at the door, curious to see what their friends had been working on the entire day. Right on time, the door slid slowly open, revealing the familiar confines of the living room. Familiar, but changed. The TV and sofa had been pushed to one corner of the room and a large table placed in the middle of the floor. Steaming foods were lined up on the table over a dark red tablecloth, along with clear glasses of some orange-tinted drink. Candles and small electronic lights glowed softly, leaving the room dimmer than usual and somehow cozy. Outside the huge windows that made up the far wall, the lights of Jump City twinkled.

Starfire and Beast Boy stood on either side of the door, revealed as it opened completely. They, too, were dressed in nice clothing, the alien in a fetching green dress, the shapeshifter in khaki dress pants and a sweater.

"Welcome, friends!" Starfire said, beaming. "Welcome to the feast of the Giving of Thanks!"

"Otherwise known as Thanksgiving," Beast Boy said wryly.

Cyborg took a few steps into the room, taking in the décor and the food. "Oh man... I completely forgot. It is Thanksgiving, isn't it?"

"Very impressive, you two," Robin said, stepping to his girlfriend and giving her a warm embrace before throwing a nod to the changeling.

"I like what you've done with the place," Raven added, standing in front of an array of candles. "We should keep it like this."

The Tamaranean princess darted over to the sorceress and threw her arms around the shorter girl, giving a brief squeeze and earning a growled objection. "I am pleased you enjoy our surprise after all," Starfire said. "Now – please – sit, everyone. Beast Boy and I have prepared a glorious dinner for all of us."

Robin, Raven, and Cyborg threw each other wary glances, but they moved to the table and sat gingerly. Brand followed more slowly and fell into his own chair next to Raven. For once, no one objected. The remaining teens circled the table, lading each plate with a variety of food before sitting down themselves. To all appearances, they had been served turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and biscuits; a complete Thanksgiving dinner.

Only Brand was fooled. The others knew what they were getting into, but didn't feel as if they could refuse the meal their friends had painstakingly made. For nearly a minute, everyone ate in silence, except Starfire, who seemed too excited to see the others' reactions to the food. The only sound was the quiet scrape and tap of silverware.

"Well?" Starfire asked at last, unable to wait anymore.

Robin cleared his throat, chewing slowly, almost reluctantly. "This is..."

"Really, _really_ bad," Brand finished, his mouth twisted in a grimace.

Cyborg glared at Beast Boy. "I knew it!" he shouted. "This ain't turkey! It's that tofu garbage!"

"It's called 'tofurkey'," the shapeshifter corrected.

"Call it whatever you want," the bionic Titan countered. "I call it nasty."

There was a choking sound from where Robin sat. He grabbed at his water glass and chugged nearly the entire cup. "Those aren't mashed potatoes," he gasped when he was able.

"It is a Tamaranean delicacy," Starfire explained, her good cheer diminished, but not gone. "It is a fungus imported from the third swamp moon of Drenthax."

Brand replicated Robin's water maneuver, muffling his own coughs. "How long was it in Beast Boy's gym locker getting 'delicate'?"

"Over three weeks," the alien red-head answered matter-of-factly, sipping from the orange glass at her elbow. Everyone – including Beast Boy – spat out the mush into their napkins.

Raven glared first at Starfire, then the changeling, but the expression lacked its normal power with her skin paler than usual, fighting back nausea. "I don't know which one of you to be more angry with." Beast Boy, mouth full of tofurkey, pointed at the Tamaranean across the table from him, but that only drew the sorceress's ire onto himself.

"You could've asked us for help with the food," Robin said gently, drinking the cool, tangy orange liquid that had awaited them at the table. "We would've been happy to help you make, you know... a _real_ turkey. And mashed potatoes. And... everything else."

"Well you could've asked me or Robin to help," Cyborg corrected, poking at the cranberry sauce with his fork, unsure if he had seen the red gelatin move on its own. "We've seen what happens when Raven tries to cook."

The dark-haired girl sighed. " _One_ time," she said, putting down her glass. "I tried cooking for you all _one_ time." Brand's lip lifted in the beginnings of a smirk, but it died prematurely at a look from the half-demon.

His expression fell further as Cyborg continued. "Hell, I'd sooner let Brand cook. He probably wouldn't mess up pancakes." A pause. "Probably."

"There's nothing wrong with the tofurkey," Beast Boy insisted, taking another piece from the large platter nearby.

" _Everything's_ wrong with the tofurkey," Raven said, her voice steely.

Brand scooped a few biscuits onto his plate. "Guess I'll just fill up on bread," he mumbled, lifting one to his mouth and taking a bite. Even as his teeth sank into the strangely savory and unyielding surface, he knew he had made a terrible mistake.

"Those are actually Okaaran mole tenders," Starfire piped up from where she sat. Beast Boy froze with one of the tenders half in his mouth. He had been centimeters from inadvertently breaking his vegetarian habit.

Cyborg laughed. "So the only real meat we have are the mole rolls?" he asked. "The _bread_ is meat and the meat isn't." He laughed louder. Soon Beast Boy was laughing with him.

"I'm glad you were my partner on this, Star," the changeling snickered. "It's a lot easier when they complain about something other than what I make."

A confused expression crossed the Tamaranean's face. "I do not understand. Is there something wrong with the food?"

"Oh I'm sure it's perfectly fine, Starfire," Raven said, gesturing with her glass. "To anyone with nine stomachs. Or Beast Boy." There was laughter at that. Even Brand had emerged from his moping enough to chuckle.

The Weapon pushed his plate away. "At least the drink is good," he said. No one disagreed. He held up his nearly-empty glass. "Can we get some more of this?"

"Certainly!" Starfire chirped happily. In seconds, the six of them were sipping from newly re-filled vessels.

"What is this stuff, anyway?" Robin asked his girlfriend quietly.

"It is called 'and'r'hal'," the alien girl answered.

The words didn't register with the boy wonder for a moment. He had been going out with the red-head for several months now and had been friends with her much longer than that; long enough to pick up the odd word or two of her native tongue. Tamaranean was a difficult language, but he knew those syllables quite well. The "and'r" prefix was the "fire" element in Starfire's Tamaranean name, Koriand'r, as well as Blackfire and Wildfire – Komand'r and Ryand'r. As for the second part of the word - "hal" - that translated roughly into "spirit", like in the name of the Tamaranean goddess, X'hal.

Robin leaned over and took the alien girl's wrist. "'And'r'hal'?" he repeated. Starfire responded with a very rare sort of smile. A coy, sneaky smile. He felt his own lips curl up in response. She knew exactly what she was doing. And'r'hal: Fire spirit. He looked around to see that the bickering of a few minutes ago had softened into something more friendly and teasing, even jovial. His detective's eyes also saw the faint red hue on everyone's cheeks, and he noticed now the warmth in his own chest.

For a brief moment, he considered putting an end to the charade. None of them were old enough to drink, and all of them were well on their way to getting intoxicated off the and'r'hal. But whether his senses were already dulled or not, Robin decided against it. The alien beverage wasn't technically alcohol, and – more importantly – they needed this. Starfire had seen to the core of the issue. The group needed to let go for just a little bit; to unwind, reset themselves, and be better able to face the next crisis.

So he said nothing. He moved his grip so that he was holding his girlfriend's hand and gave it a squeeze before taking his glass in hand and standing.

"This may not be the most traditional Thanksgiving dinner," he began. "But let's still show our appreciation to Starfire and Beast Boy for all the work they put into it." Beast Boy stood and bowed, and Cyborg and Brand responded by throwing mole rolls at him. "They're terrible cooks, but great friends."

"Hear, hear!" Cyborg cheered, and they all toasted the sentiment.

After that, the party went on quite merrily while the sky outside darkened from navy blue to black. The pile of food didn't shrink much, and what was taken was mostly used as additional ammunition for impromptu and momentary food fights. At Starfire's urging, they all stood up and offered toasts as Robin had done.

"Friends, we are alive and together," the alien girl began. "With you, every day is Blorthog!" The four other Titans smiled, remembering the Tamaranean festival of friendship the red-head made them celebrate. Brand just looked baffled and vaguely insulted at the alien word.

Cyborg was next. "There's no one else I'd rather die of food poisoning with than y'all," he said. He gestured outside with the hand that held his glass. "But let's not forget the people out there. We're lucky to live in this city, and... lucky they accept us." Everyone drank more somberly to that.

"Uh... I can't really think of anything to say," Beast Boy said, rising from his seat. There was an awkward moment while the changeling fidgeted, Cyborg and Starfire murmuring encouragement. He looked up at the ceiling and seemed to find some kind of inspiration there. "I guess... a toast to our friends around the world. Titans East and Jinx and Kid Flash, and... everyone else, too." The others clapped and took up their glasses.

Raven stood. Her face was lightly flushed, from either the and'r'hal, the attention, or both. "You're a dysfunctional, loud, annoying group," she said. "But you're also my family." She hesitated. "Thank you." The response was subdued, but heartfelt, and Starfire was sniffling, tears in her eyes.

Everyone turned to Brand and he stood slowly, looking even more nervous than Beast Boy had. "You guys didn't have to help me, but you did, even though I don't deserve it. It hasn't always been easy, but..." he raised his glass. "This is one of the good days."

As the Weapon took his seat again, Robin watched him, considering. Without speaking, the lead Titan reached behind his head and unfastened his mask, letting it fall from his face. There was a shocked silence, Brand glanced at him, then back down, then gave him a double-take, and there was a look in his eyes as if he had seen a ghost. Deliberately, the boy wonder went back to his food and drink, and the other Titans followed suit after a few moments. Brand stared for a while longer before he leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.

* * *

It was another few hours before the party finally broke up, heralded by Beast Boy falling asleep. The others were all flushed and bright-eyed by that time, and kept talking and joking and laughing for a while afterward while the candles burned low, but Cyborg began to yawn as well, and Robin and Starfire had been getting closer and closer as the night went on until the Tamaranean was practically in his lap.

The bionic Titan left first, Beast Boy slung over one shoulder. "I'll put the baby to bed," Cyborg said. "And then catch some sack time myself. G'night, y'all." With a wave over one shoulder, he walked out.

"We should get to bed, too," Robin said, rising, Starfire clinging to his arm. "We'll see you two tomorrow."

"Have a pleasant evening, friends," Starfire added. The two lovebirds made their exit arm-in-arm.

And Brand was left alone with Raven amid the ruins of the feast. He glanced at the girl next to him. "They're not going to sleep, are they?" he asked with a smirk.

The sorceress squeezed her eyes closed. "I don't want to think about it," she said. Brand chuckled. There was a pause, then Raven continued. "It was a big deal, you know... Robin taking his mask off."

"I know."

"It means he trusts you," Raven said. "You'll probably wake up tomorrow with a communicator in front of your door."

The Weapon put his face in his hands and laughed. "What a joke. Me. An honorary Titan."

Raven glanced at the white-haired teen. "Don't you think you deserve it? You've been fighting with us for a while now, even before Jalascis and Janus."

He peered out from between his fingers. "It's not what I've done, it's what I might do."

"We've discussed this," Raven said. "Why are you so sure now that you're going to hurt me?" Brand didn't answer, looking away instead. "Does it have anything to do with what happened in Janus? Does it explain your reaction when Robin took off his mask? I felt your... dismay."

Brand didn't answer for a long time. He leaned forward and picked at a spot on the dark red tablecloth. "That's not the first time I've seen that face," he said at last. "The first time was in the Janus facility." Raven waited patiently for the rest. "It was under Red X's mask." For a moment, that didn't register, then the sorceress's violet eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, the prelude to the obvious question, but Brand beat her to it.

"You wanted to know what happened in there?" the Weapon choked out. "I found out what I was. The same thing Red X was." The hand playing with the tablecloth clenched into a fist. "Clones," he said, the word a whisper. "Freaks of science with fake memories. Tools created by someone else to do their dirty work." Raven turned fully towards the young man, listening intently. "I don't know what all they did to me, what they can still make me do. They created my memories. What else did they do to me?"

The sorceress sighed. "I'm sorry, Brand. I didn't realize, but... you can't run away from this. Believe me, I know. I've tried. And you can't live your life being afraid of what might happen. You have to... take the future as it comes."

He smirked weakly, turning to face her. "You're stronger than I am, Raven. I can't imagine how you deal with it every day."

"By doing what good I can now."

Brand glanced down for a moment, then back up at her face. "I suppose... I can do more good here."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're not going to leave?"

He shrugged. "I still think I should." He threw another half-smile at the girl. "It was easier when you hated me and didn't want me to stay."

The half-demon shook her head. "I never hated you, Brand. I was... trying to save you."

Brand didn't know afterwards exactly why he did what he did. It would've been easy for him to blame the drink, but he realized afterwards that his enhanced physiology had already worked through the intoxication. No, it was his own decision, made in the heat of the moment, based on a long-held desire, nurtured through long months, and encouraged by the moment and the closeness and his own increasing despair at his existence. She was too near, too desirable, and his control broke.

He leaned forward and kissed Raven.

It was tentative and awkward, a kiss between two people who were woefully inexperienced in physical contact, but it was no less electric for all that. Her lips were impossibly soft and warm and tasted of and'r'hal, her eyes large and vulnerable before they closed.

The first second passed, and Brand's mind froze in shock at his own audacity and the realization she hadn't pushed him away yet. She made a little noise against him, surprise or protest or something else, he didn't know, but he felt himself drawn closer to her. One hand reached out to rest on her hip and he drank her in, feeling her lips move against his.

" _You could get close, take her in a moment of vulnerability, and slide the blade in..."_ Saber's voice said in his memory. _"It would be so easy."_

They both pulled back at the same moment, cheeks flushed, breathing heavily, staring at each other. Brand bit his lip and looked away, angry at himself, even as he fought the desire to take the girl in his arms and kiss her again. "I don't want to hurt you," he managed at last, grinding the words out. He glanced back in time to see her stand, swaying slightly in place.

"Then why did you do that?" Raven asked, her voice rough.

He let out a huff of breath, something between a snort of laughter and a sigh. "Because I felt like it." Looking up, Brand was surprised to see the anguish in the girl's amethyst eyes.

"Did you?" she murmured. Before Brand could think of a response, Raven was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter wasn't in the original plan, however it became apparent to me that I needed to have something lighter to provide contrast to all the dramatic action which has dominated the story. Because of my own loose timeline, the titular holiday was obvious, but it also worked in other ways.
> 
> "Holiday" turned out to be more of a Starfire chapter than I thought it would be... that's probably a good thing, though. I always worry about giving her short shrift because I find her difficult to write for. When I do capture what I consider the essence of her character, she's hilarious and adorable.
> 
> As for the ending, well... it's times like this that I most feel my own hubris, and I'm sure there are people that dislike the direction things are going, but it is the story that's being told.
> 
> Oh, and if you couldn't tell... another soundtrack song:
> 
> "Savior" - Rise Against
> 
> Join me next time for "Endgame I: Missing".


	26. Endgame I: Missing

" _You understand, then. I did what I had to do."_

* * *

There were aspects of being an unofficial Titan Brand enjoyed: greater freedom, an "allowance" or stipend of sorts, a sense of camaraderie he hadn't felt before (with one notable exception), and no longer having to be afraid of being tossed out of the Tower for a single mistake. However, there were also facets of the position which chafed and irritated. Mostly, these were the bureaucratic activities: after-action reports, expenses, and a duty roster. No longer was Brand only on-call for emergency situations, he was expected to to take part in group training, maintenance, paperwork, and patrols.

Patrols were – for the most part – he least objectionable, but it depended heavily on who one was partnered with. If he could have just gone out on his own and walked his "beat", that would have been one thing, but the patrols operated on the buddy system, where no one was supposed to go off alone. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop with Robin was challenging, but informative. Riding along with Cyborg in the T-car was comfortable, though the bionic Titan never passed up a chance to razz the Weapon. Starfire was chatty, but not abrasive. Beast Boy was intolerable.

When the new schedule went up and Brand had seen he finally had a patrol with Raven, he felt a mix of excitement and anxiety. In the intervening week since Thanksgiving, not a day and barely an hour had gone by without his mind drifting to the kiss the two had shared. The feel of her lips, the warmth of her body, the little sound she had made, all of these had driven him to distraction, a welcome reprieve from dwelling on Janus and Saber and Red X.

The memory was soured, however, by the instant backsliding which had occurred the next day and continued since then. It was as if Brand had just arrived in the Tower, angry and untrustworthy, utterly ignored by Raven, who kept her distance without even seeming to try. The very thought made him wince.

_I screwed up_ , he thought for the umpteenth time. _I don't know her as well as the others, but I know enough. She can't deal with that kind of contact. Especially from me._

" _As if a failed science experiment like you had anything to offer anyone, much less an ice queen like her,"_ Saber said in his memory. Brand clenched his fist.

And yet... despite everything, he couldn't make himself regret what he had done. If that brief moment was all their relationship would ever amount to, it still would've been worth it.

Brand tried desperately to hold onto that thought the following night during the long, cold, quiet patrol. The sorceress didn't even look at him the entire time, her hood up and concealing her eyes, communicating with him in mono-syllables. He kept to the streets while she soared above him, out of reach and out of earshot unless he wanted to have a shouted heart-to-heart. Raven was clearly avoiding him on purpose.

It was pure pain.

His break came – ironically – when he stumbled upon a burglary being committed downtown. A trio of masked thugs in dark clothes filed out the door of a darkened house, one carrying a bulging sack of pilfered goods, the others sharing the weight of a large television, all three heading to the unremarkable van parked nearby. For an instant, Brand wasn't sure what to do; his experience with the Titans until now had only been with larger threats like Kardiak or the HIVE. Stopping such a relatively mundane crime was almost a novelty, one he hadn't been prepared for.

So he swaggered his way through. Drawing the T-sword from behind his left shoulder, he strolled towards the burglars, one lip curled upward in a smirk. "Masked Movers, right?" he asked. "I think I've seen your commercials. 'We only move at night'. Such dedication."

The thug with the bag turned disbelieving eyes to the teen. "Get out of here, kid," he snarled. "You haven't seen nothing, you understand me?"

"Watch it, Rick," the taller of the pair carrying the TV warned. "I've seen this one on the news. He's one of them Teen Titans."

'Rick' reached into his jacket. "This ain't no costumed freak," he sneered. "It's just a punk with a stick." The man's hand emerged with a gun, and Brand's expression broadened into a hard smile. In an instant, he crossed the remaining ten feet separating him from the thug, swinging the T-sword laterally from left to right to sweep the man's feet out from under him. As Rick fell – appearing to move almost in slow motion to Brand's senses – the Weapon reversed his attack, hearing a clang and feeling the impact as he struck the gun out of the burglar's hand. It slammed into the wall of the house and fired harmlessly into the darkness before falling to the ground.

Even as Brand turned to the others, he saw the shorter member of the pair yanked back by dark bands of energy with a scream of fear, disappearing into the night, his half of the TV dropping onto the sidewalk. The taller man stared at where his friend had been a moment ago, then his eyes flicked to where Brand – wearing a lazy smile – walked towards him. He dropped his own half of the television and raised his hands.

"I give up," he said, his voice high and panicked.

"Smartest thing you've done in a while, I'll bet," Raven quipped as she floated down from above. She turned to where Rick was just now getting back to his feet, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the concrete. "What about you?"

He wasn't happy about it. That much was obvious from his expression, but faced with the "punk with a stick" and a "costumed freak", he decided to follow his compatriot's example, putting his hands up and surrendering. With a gesture, Raven floated the shorter man back in front of the house. He was already trussed up with clothesline.

"Neat work," Brand murmured. The girl didn't respond. "What do we do now?"

She still didn't look at him. "Tie them up. Wait."

The Weapon's lip twitched, but he pushed down his resentment and did as she said. She must have contacted the police while she was still in the air, because – only minutes later – a couple of squad cars pulled up, lights flashing and sirens wailing. By the time the burglars had been put in the backs of the cars, the stolen goods returned to the house, and Brand and Raven's depositions had been taken, their designated watch was almost over.

The police pulled away and all was quiet again. The sorceress glanced over her shoulder at him once, then turned and began to float upwards.

"Wait!" Brand said, surprised to hear his own irritation so clear in his voice. Her ascent stalled, a moment of hesitation. "Are we seriously going to do this?" he asked.

"What is it, Brand?" Raven asked, dropping back to the ground. In stark contrast to his own tone, hers was flat and emotionless, almost bored. To the Weapon's hyper-sensitive eyes, however, the tension in her shoulders was apparent.

He walked up behind her. "You know damn well what it is," he said. "I did something I shouldn't have. Got it. How long are you going to keep punishing me for it?"

A brief pause. "It's not punishment," she said.

"Then what?" Brand asked, exasperated. She didn't answer. "Don't shut me out, Raven," he pleaded, coming around to face her, peering under the dark brim of her hood. "Come on, I want to talk about this."

She turned away, and he was facing her back again. "I want to talk _less_." Now there was emotion audible in her voice: annoyance.

"Is that going to make things better?" Brand countered sarcastically.

Another hesitation. "... no."

A cold wind whistled down the boulevard. It was late, and it was December. No one else walked the streets at this time of night, and there were no cars. Distantly, the sounds of the city could be heard, but – for now – it was just the two of them.

"It's not going to work, Brand," Raven said. "We're both too messed up to be anything more than what we are now. I can't be free enough with my emotions to get close to anyone, and you..." she glanced over her shoulder. "You told me yourself, you're a clone. What do you really know about people? You fixated on me because I was the first person to really talk to you. That's all it is."

The Weapon felt himself tremble at her callous appraisal of their relationship. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "It's not like that."

Now she turned to face him fully, and there was sudden heat in her voice as she closed within a single pace of him. "Then tell me. What do you want from me? What is it that you expect? Do you think we're going to go on dates? Get an apartment together? Marriage? Children? You have to know a 'normal' life isn't possible for either of us. What is it you see when you think about us in the future?"

Brand's jaw dropped and his mind went blank. _What_ do _I want?_ He asked himself. _What kind of future could we possibly have together?_ It was a difficult question, one he didn't have an easy answer for. The reason for that was stark and clear: he rarely thought about the future except in the most abstract terms. Would he die tomorrow? Would he kill next week? The thought of an extended future with Raven hadn't crossed his mind.

"Maybe you're right," he admitted at last. "Maybe I haven't thought it through. I don't like dwelling on what might happen later because I don't want to think about what I could do. That doesn't change what I _want_ : It's this. Us, working together, talking, sometimes arguing, but all I've looked for – all I wanted since I woke up in that desert – was to be with you."

The sorceress's face, barely visible under her hood, had slowly reddened at his words, but at the last phrase, all the blood seemed to drain away, leaving her pale. Her violet eyes – shining with indignation a moment ago – went cold and bleak. "You don't know what you want," she said hoarsely, her tone a mix of frustration and sorrow.

This time Brand was sure he was in his right mind when he leaned down to kiss her, taking the girl by the shoulders and closing the small gap between them. He didn't lunge for her, he gave her time to escape if she wanted, but she didn't move. It was an action born of desperation, of denial, of resentment at her rejection of his feelings. If words couldn't convince her, maybe this would. Her kiss was cold this time, her lips soft but unmoving, and the sound she made was almost a quiet wail of despair. But for a brief moment – glorious, as Starfire would say – she responded, and the Weapon felt her heat and hunger, her hands reaching up to bunch at the collar of his jacket, pressing her body against his.

Then she pushed him away, hard enough to break contact, but not out of his grasp, her hood slipping off her head and revealing the livid color in her cheeks. "We can't!" she gasped.

"Stop lying to me!" Brand shouted, his own breath short. "Stop trying to convince us both there's nothing going on between me and you!"

Raven's lips pressed together to form a thin line, twisting out from under his hands, her eyes filled with pity and something else. "There isn't," she whispered.

* * *

The next day, Brand lay on his thin mattress in the room he had first been given when he was allowed sanctuary at the tower. They had offered to move him after his induction as an honorary Titan, but he hadn't felt right about it, still unsure if he should stay with the Titans, still unsure if he should remain in Jump City. It was his way of punishing himself, he knew, for a past he'd had no control over and a future that was conceivably worse.

Punishing himself was the order of the day. The Weapon had spent the entire morning and a long, sleepless night beating himself up for making the situation between himself and Raven even worse than it had been before. And for much the same reason. His "fixation" had become something more, something physical, and it was more and more difficult to ignore it.

The question she had asked and the surprising answer he had provided spun around in his mind over and over again. _"What do you see when you think about us in the future?"_

" _Us, working together, talking, sometimes arguing, but all I've looked for – all I wanted since I woke up in that desert – was to be with you."_

She hadn't expected his response; had denied it, but Brand was certain it had been _correct_. And still, somehow, wrong. At least to Raven's mind.

He lifted a hand to his aching temples and massaged them wearily. He couldn't figure her out. Every time he thought he understood her, something would happen to show him he was as far from ever from the answers he sought. He refused to believe the girl was right about him, that he didn't know what he really wanted. No, there was something else going on, something she still kept bottled up inside. But what?

" _Don't push her. She takes... time."_

A frown crossed Brand's face. It had been a while since he had thought of his vision/hallucination of Not-Raven; the one he had seen after being knocked out by Killshot. A long time ago now, or so it seemed.

His bed vibrated, and a digital, upbeat tune filled the little room. Brand glared at the new black and yellow communicator which had been given to him which lay next to him on the mattress. "Duty calls," he mumbled, sitting up and snatching the device, flipping it open with an already-practiced flick of the wrist. It was probably Robin calling them all out for some supervillain attack.

The face he had been expecting didn't appear. Another one did.

"Beast Boy?" Brand asked, not even trying to hide his annoyance. "What do you want?"

He didn't look happy. The usual smile was gone and his emerald eyes were worried. "She's gone," he said. "I checked her bus stop, the school, even her foster home, and I can't find anything. You gotta' help me out, man. I'm scared something happened to her."

The Weapon furrowed his brow. "Who are you -" he stopped himself. "Terra?" The changeling just nodded. Brand bared his teeth, showing his displeasure through the tiny camera of the communicator. "Are you serious with this? It's the holiday season, she's probably on vacation somewhere."

"Doing what?" Beast Boy asked scornfully, a tone the white-haired teen had never heard from him. "Visiting her family? She doesn't have one she's willing to acknowledge. She's a high school student in a home, she doesn't have any money. Where would she go?"

"Fine. What's _your_ guess?"

"I don't know!" Beast Boy said, his voice rising in volume and pitch. "What if it's Janus? What if it's Slade? This is exactly why I've been keeping an eye on her! Come on, dude... please."

Brand set his jaw. "Why me?" he hedged.

"Because you're the only one who knows I've still been watching over her."

A long sigh escaped the Weapon and he looked away. He didn't want to deal with this. One finger traced the raised "T" on the top of the clamshell communicator. "Where do I meet you?" he said at last.

* * *

The green-skinned shapeshifter was a bundle of nervous energy by the time Brand reached him fifteen minutes later at Murakami High School. The school was a blocky four-story edifice that stretched two wings east and west, both lined with windows. Brand barely spared a glance at the structure. School held no nostalgia for him, and he couldn't imagine actually having to attend such a place as a student day after day.

"About time," Beast Boy complained as he approached. He wore a heavy coat and an annoyingly long stocking cap against the December cold. "What took you so long?"

The Weapon gave him a withering look. "Want to see how long it takes me to go back? We could test that right now." He spun on his heel, walking back the way he had come. The changeling rushed in front of him, waving his arms.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry!" He said. "I'm just worried, you know?"

"And here I am," Brand said. "Try and remember I came from the nice, warm Tower to help you with this particular goose chase, and..." he reached out a hand, forefinger extended to jab the younger teen in the chest. "Don't irritate me any more than you have to."

Beast Boy rubbed his chest where the Weapon had poked him. "I already apologized," he said. "But I have a bad feeling. Ever since we found out about the kidnappings, I've been terrified someone would go after Terra again. She's powerful. Too powerful. They wouldn't pass her by if they found out where she was."

"If it's the same girl," Brand sniffed.

"Dude," the shapeshifter said, and – as on the communicator – his tone was harder than Brand was used to from the normally happy-go-lucky teen, a product of impatience or something else. "You think this animal thing is just a party trick? You think I wouldn't _know_? I know her scent, just like I know yours, and Raven's, and _everyone_ else's. I can tell you haven't eaten yet today, and you didn't shower last night, either. I still smell her on you."

The Weapon's eyes shot wide. " _What?!_ "

For once, it was Beast Boy who was smirking; a humorless expression. "Told you. Didn't really expect it, though. Seems like you two would make each other miserable."

There was something in his tone Brand didn't like. He glared down at the changeling, realizing suddenly that he didn't have to angle his neck quite as far to do so as he did three months ago. _The kid is growing up_ , he thought. _Getting too big for his britches, more like_. "That's none of your business," he growled. "And I have too much on my mind to worry about whatever your problem is with whatever may or may not be going between me and Raven. Maybe you should focus on _one_ girl at a time."

For a moment, Beast Boy didn't back down. Then he seemed to shrink back down into a goofy kid again. "She's my friend," he said, looking away. "I don't want her to get hurt."

Brand's lip twitched. Was he talking about Terra or Raven? He picked the less uncomfortable option. "Then let's go find her," he said. "You made your point about the scent, so what's the deal? You track and I back you up?"

"Yeah," the changeling said quickly, clearly relieved to get back to business. "I should be able to find her, but if there's trouble, I might need some help." The Weapon didn't bother to answer, just waved an arm to indicate the younger teen should get on with it. Beast Boy shifted down into a bloodhound and began sniffing around the sidewalk in front of the school. He followed what seemed to be several false starts for a few yards before returning to the gate. At last, the young Titan found the most recent trail and began following it. Brand shoved his hands into his pockets and followed, feeling both annoyed and silly.

The process was interminable to the Weapon. Over and over the changeling would follow a lead for nearly a mile, then go back to an earlier location and start over. It was a blessing and a curse that Beast Boy couldn't speak in animal form. A blessing because Brand was still angry, a curse because he was horribly bored and even an argument would make the time go faster. They passed the bus stop where he had first seen Terra and stalled for a long while at what he assumed was the foster home the girl lived. Eventually, they veered away from the respectable parts of town and off to the outskirts.

Beast Boy shifted back into his human form briefly, down on one knee, his eyes fixed on the trail he had been following. "I don't like this," he said. "The path is pretty fresh here, but she's moving fast. Keeps stopping, too, like she's looking around."

"Was someone chasing her?" Brand asked, intrigued in spite of himself.

"I can't tell," the changeling said, shaking his head. "I don't think so, though. There's nothing else recent going this direction." He lifted his eyes to peer at where the ground rose ahead of them. "Why this way?" he asked, almost to himself.

"What's down this way?"

Beast Boy glanced over his shoulder at the Weapon. "That's where she and Slade holed up when they were working together and took over the city. A lot of bad memories there." Those memories held him in thrall, his green eyes losing focus as he spoke. "He was controlling her somehow, but Terra turned against him anyway. We thought she killed him. He came back, though." The shapeshifter shivered and he focused on Brand's face again.

"Slade was after Raven next time, working for Trigon. He brought Slade back from the dead and gave him new powers just to deliver a message to Raven: She was going to destroy the world." Brand just stared. "I wasn't there when it happened, but... it messed her up pretty bad. She tried to hide it, but we could all tell. It was like..." he trailed off and turned away.

The Weapon found his hands had closed into fists. "What happened to him?"

But the shapeshifter was done telling stories. "He got away," he said simply, then turned back into a bloodhound and took up the trail again. Another half hour passed as they traveled, but either Terra's scent was clearer now or Beast Boy was confident he already knew where the girl had gone. He shifted back into human form before they even reached the mouth of the cave, apparently no longer needing to track the geo-kinetic with his much-vaunted sense of smell.

Beast Boy hesitated a long time before entering the cave. Brand crossed his arms and watched him, waiting for the changeling to make a decision or give an explanation. The explanation came first. "I've been here lots of times," Beast Boy said. "Terra's powers set off a volcano under the city, big enough to wipe out the whole town. She stopped it, but it turned her into a statue or something. Froze her into the stone. We had no idea what had happened or how to turn her back. I visited her all the time... talked to her." He sighed. "After we beat the Brotherhood of Evil, I came back, and... the statue was gone."

"You found her again, attending Murakami," Brand finished. The younger teen nodded.

"I was mad for a while. I still am, sometimes. About her losing her memories or pretending to. After everything that happened, everything we all went through, it's unfair. But eventually, I was just happy she was okay, living a normal life. I wanted to protect it... protect her."

Brand's patience was running thin. "Then why stop now? Let's go."

"I know, I know..." Beast Boy said. "It's just... there's a part of me that thinks I'm going to go in there and she'll be a statue again. I know it doesn't make any sense." He shook his head quickly, like a dog shedding itself of water. "Let me go in first, just in case. She doesn't really know you, and I don't want to freak her out."

A little laugh slipped from the Weapon's lips. "Am I here as backup or moral support?" Beast Boy didn't answer. He entered the dark entrance of the cave.

* * *

_You're being paranoid,_ Beast Boy thought. _There's nothing going on. She probably comes here sometimes to remember what happened, to think about what she did... what she almost did._

It was a reasonable explanation, but – somehow – it rang hollow. The memory of the trail was alive in his mind, almost visible to him through the girl's scent. Her scrambling, panicked flight from her house to here, constantly looking around at some phantom presence. The light from the cave entrance vanished behind a turn in the tunnel and the changeling opened his communicator, using the soft glow of the display to show the way.

Not that he really needed it. He knew the way by heart.

As he came closer to the center chamber, the former core of Slade's operations, his sensitive ears picked up the sound of sniffling. A strange mix of relief and trepidation tightened the shapeshifter's chest. She was alive, but what was wrong with her?

"Terra?" he called out softly. The sound stopped, as if the source was now holding their breath. He entered the large open space which had formerly held the blonde's statue and paused, keen eyes scanning the area. It wasn't as dark as it should have been, almost like...

He looked up to find a sharp stalactite hanging above him, surrounded by a familiar yellow aura. "Whoa!" he shouted, leaping to one side.

The stalactite soared across the room to crash into one wall, the glow disappearing. "Beast Boy?" A tentative voice called. "Is it really you?"

"It's me," the changeling said, peering into the deeper darkness. "Where are you, Terra?" She emerged from the shadows a moment later, wearing dirty jeans and a thin jacket over her skinny shoulders, running to him and throwing her arms around his shoulders in a desperate embrace.

"I should have known," she cried. "I should've known you'd find me. You're the best, Gar."

For a moment, Beast Boy felt the warmth of her words and her hug, wrapping his own arms around the girl. Then, like the tide going out, the tender feelings drained away, leaving something cold and angry and hurt. "So you do remember," he said. It wasn't a question.

Hearing his tone, she let go of him and took a few paces back. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Yeah... I'm really sorry about lying to you, Beast Boy, but you have to understand. I wanted to put my past behind me for good. I wanted to be _normal_. I couldn't be 'Terra' anymore."

"I _would have_ understood if you had explained it to me," Beast Boy said. "But instead you left me wondering: Did you have amnesia? Was it the Titans you were hiding from? Was it me?"

"I was trying to hide from myself," Terra explained. "Everything I ever tried to do, I screwed up. Do you have any idea how many times I tried to help people and hurt them instead? And every time I did, I ran away, started over somewhere else, and... I'm so tired of running." She glanced up at him, her blue eyes bright in the darkness, her blonde hair matted. "So I gave it all up. My powers, my name, my past... everything."

Part of him wanted to remain angry, but the changeling also felt himself sympathizing with the girl. No one knew better than he did what she had gone through. "So what happened?" he asked. "Why did you run away from home again? Why come here?"

Tears leaked from Terra's big eyes, making clean trails down both dirty cheeks. "Because I was just lying to myself, Beast Boy," she said, her voice quavering. "This whole time, I wanted to pretend I could drop everything and start over, but it was a lie."

Her hands lifted to either side of her head, covering her ears as she sank to her knees onto the rocky floor of the cave. "I was stupid," she sobbed. "So fucking stupid!"

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy asked, alarmed at the sudden change in the girl and her fragile emotional state.

"I started hearing him again," the girl explained in a hoarse, high-pitched whisper. "Started seeing him at the corner of my eyes. He's never going to let me escape. It doesn't matter where I go or what I do."

Dread crystallized in Beast Boy's guts. "Who?" he asked, though he already knew.

A voice came out of the deep shadows at the other end of the chamber. It was cold, precise, deep.

And familiar.

"I believe she's talking about me," the voice said. And like a nightmare forming out of the nothingness, taking shape out of fear and loathing, a figure emerged from that darkness. He stood tall and strong, wearing armor and a death's head of a mask; half black, half orange. Terra hands clutched at her head and screamed at the sound of the man's voice.

It was Slade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There actually was another arc planned between Janus and Endgame, but I realized fairly recently that it was unnecessary and distracting. Not bad, just unnecessary.


	27. Endgame II: Confrontation

If Beast Boy was honest, he would admit he was scared a lot of the time. Even though his heroic pedigree was second only to Robin's (he had – after all – been part of the Doom Patrol), he often felt out of his league when dealing with many of the supervillains the Titans tended to face. Fighting side-by-side with his friends helped mitigate the fear. His own sense of humor – forced as it sometimes was – also helped. He had literally laughed in the face of danger more times than he could count.

Facing Brother Blood had shaken him, going against The Brain and Monsieur Mallah had been nerve-wracking, the Citadel armies had brought him close to death, but Slade...

Slade terrified him.

The man had proven himself to be inscrutable, ingenious, and nearly indestructible. Unstoppable. Even being dead had only slowed him down. But it was more than his abilities, it was Slade's sheer presence, The mental pressure he exerted. No one had caused as much damage to the Titans, with the exception of Trigon, the devil himself.

This single person had driven Robin to create the Red X suit and take on the identity of a thief to find him, manipulated the lead Titan into doing his dirty work and battle his own team, had made Terra into his apprentice, had nearly killed Robin with a chemical reagent which had made the boy wonder hallucinate he was battling Slade, had come back as Trigon's crony to attack, taunt, and badger Raven into fulfilling her destiny, not to mention all the actions he had taken against Beast Boy's friends indirectly with the HIVE, Thunder and Lightning, Plasmus, Overload, and Cinderblock.

It was true, Slade had also turned against Trigon and helped the Titans fight against the demon, and he had been conspicuously absent from the ranks of The Brotherhood of Evil, but those were the exceptions, not the rule. It had changed nothing.

Fear was a powerful emotion, one which had Terra hunkered on her knees, sobbing and helpless as Slade approached. But Beast Boy knew fear. And he knew an even stronger emotion: Anger. Like Raven, the changeling had a rage buried deep within him, held in check behind his laid-back nature and good humor, but it was there. It had taken control of him before. The beast within him had awakened and nearly hurt his friends before being locked away.

The beast was still there, however, and now it was time to let it loose again.

With a roar, Beast Boy shifted, expanded, growing into a form which could only be described as "bestial". Ape, wolf, bear, the Beast was all of these and none of them. He trotted forward, using hands and feet to propel himself. In an instant, he had closed the gap between himself and Slade, throwing his body into the masked and armored figure. The one visible eye widened for a moment before impact, then Slade let out a huff of breath, a grunt of pain as he was slammed back into one rocky wall of the cave.

A crimson curtain covered the changeling's vision, and he stared balefully at his foe through narrowed eyes. One massive paw drew back, the prelude to a vicious attack. But even surprised and faced with the fury of the Beast, Slade was fast, and he was strong, and he was _good_. He twisted away from the attack and kicked at Beast Boy, pushing him back a few inches. It was enough. The masked man slipped out of the Beast's grasp and threw a powerful punch at the creature's flank.

One swipe of a massive arm sent Slade flying into the deep shadows. Beast Boy didn't stop to think, he just reacted, charging after the his enemy, his animal eyes adjusting to the darkness with ease, his animal nose able to track Slade even without seeing him. Still, somehow, the masked figure managed to surprise him, leaping out of the darkness with a spinning kick strong enough to daze Beast Boy. The pain and shock was enough for him to lose his hold on the form of the Beast and he fell to the ground in his human form.

He struggled up to his hands and knees, already formulating his next attack, but he felt a heavy boot against his back, holding him down. The impact shook him, and he heard a clatter as his communicator fell from his belt to the cave floor.

"Don't bother standing up," Slade said. "I'm not interested in you."

Beast Boy forced a laugh. "Oh, good. That makes me feel so much better." He shifted into a lion and turned to swipe a claw at Slade, throwing the foot off his back. The villain evaded it easily, reaching behind his back and producing a staff similar to the one Robin often used. The emerald Titan changed back into his human form and backed away, opening up some space between him and his opponent. "So what's this about, Slade?" He gestured to where Terra had backed into one wall, wide-eyed and scared. "Terra? Robin? You just don't know when to quit."

The two circled, eyes fixed on each other. "Believe it or not," Slade said, sounding as calm as ever. "I have no further interest in this girl. She's proven to be far more trouble than she's worth."

"Liar!" Terra screamed. "You've been stalking me for weeks! I saw you... I heard you!"

"That is because you have one further use, my dear," the masked man said. As if on cue, a new figure dashed into the room, T-sword drawn.

"Bait," Slade finished.

* * *

The sound of the first scream had made Brand jump. He crept to the cave entrance cautiously, drawing the T-sword and waiting for some follow-up sound, some further indication of what was going on. It wasn't long before he heard a howling roar unlike anything the Weapon had heard before. He didn't waste any more time after that, charging into the tunnel, following its twists and turns, led on by the sound of battle and another scream.

The chamber at the end of the tunnel was dimly lit from some tiny rents in the cave's ceiling, revealing the three figures within. Brand recognized Terra from the first time they had met. The girl was crumpled against one wall, cringing and whining. Beast Boy was half-crouched, facing off against the third figure... a man in a half-black, half-orange mask. That skull-like headpiece turned to face Brand as he entered, and the swordsman found himself transfixed by the single eye staring from behind it.

"Watch out!" Beast Boy shouted. He transformed into a wolf and trotted to the masked figure, snarling. The tall man swatted aside the changeling without even looking, sending the emerald animal into the nearby wall where he fell with a pained yelp.

Terra struggled to her feet, eyes glowing amber. "Slade!" she screamed. "Don't you touch him!" A large boulder took on the same yellow glow as the girl's eyes, lifted free of the ground, and soared in the masked man's direction. Effortlessly, Slade vaulted the flying rock and it continued on to crash into a stalagmite. The villain pointed at the blonde girl.

"That'll be enough of that for now, young lady," he said, and – as if she had been shot – Terra collapsed, clutching at her head, crying out in pain or fear.

"Slade," Brand growled, breaking free of his momentary paralysis. Reflexive hatred and loathing bubbled through his chest. All the vague stories and implications he had heard in his months with the Titans, all the gaps he had filled in his own mind, his darkest thoughts and imaginings, all of it ran through his mind. He knew about Terra, had heard about Robin's short-lived apprenticeship under Slade's brutal tutelage. But above all of that was what he had been told of Slade's pursuit of Raven.

" _... it messed her up pretty bad. She tried to hide it, but we could all tell. It was like..."_ Beast Boy had said. Brand bared his teeth.

_Like what?_ He asked the question to himself, the question he hadn't wanted to ask before. _Like rape?_

Brand felt fury boil through his veins like fire, and he darted forward with all his enhanced speed, T-sword drawn back for a vicious strike. Slade didn't even move his feet, just leaned back, and the edge-less blade whistled past his masked face. The Weapon reversed his attack, but Slade's staff was already there to intercept the blow. At no point did the single eye move from Brand's face.

"We meet at last," the smooth voice came from under the death's head mask. "I've been looking forward to this." The Weapon felt himself pushed along the pebbly floor of the cave as Slade pushed him backward. He was stronger than Brand had expected. Faster, too. His match and more.

A bitter laugh burst from Brand's mouth. "'That makes two of us," he grated, pushing harder; a futile effort. "I've heard a lot about you. Been wanting to pay my respects."

Before Brand could react, the masked villain raised his knee, striking the Weapon's stomach and doubling him over, the breath knocked out of his body. He staggered back, gasping for air, and Slade swung his metal staff into his face. There was a blinding flash of pain and Brand tumbled away, folding around one of the stalagmites. "Watch your tone, boy," Slade said coldly.

He heard a scratching, scurrying sound from nearby, and a small green mouse appeared in Brand's sparkling vision. He blinked, and the mouse became a parrot which hopped towards him. "We can't fight him here," the parrot said in Beast Boy's voice. The Weapon shook his head, unused to hearing any of the changeling's animal forms speaking. "We've got to get Terra away from Slade."

"We run, he chases us," Brand coughed. "You worry about Terra, I'll hold him off here."

"Don't be stupid!" the parrot Beast Boy squawked as the Weapon levered himself to his feet, tightening his grip on the T-sword. "You're no match for him!"

Brand rose to find Slade was patiently waiting for him, hands locked behind his back. "So what will it be?" the masked man asked. The Weapon glared at his opponent and stalked forward.

* * *

As Brand and Slade clashed again, Beast Boy scrambled in squirrel form to the crumpled figure of Terra, who was lying prone against one wall, eyes fixed and sightless. The changeling shifted back into human form and shook the girl's shoulder, glancing at the ongoing duel. Brand had started with a flurry of attacks, but none of them seemed to hit their mark, Slade dodging or blocking everything the Weapon threw at him.

"Come on, Terra, get up. You need to get out of here," Beast Boy said. At the sound of her voice, the geo-kinetic's blue eyes focused on him. She threw a fearful look over her shoulder at Slade, then turned back to him, nodding quickly, desperately.

The changeling took the girl's hand and, together, they rose and rushed for the exit. Beast Boy felt a surge of guilt at leaving Brand behind, but he knew it was only temporary. He'd get Terra out of the cave and away from Slade, call the other Titans for help, then go back in to help the white-haired teen. It was a matter of a minute for the two young teens to emerge back into the dim light of a wintry December afternoon, the air seeming even colder after the stuffiness of the cave.

With his free hand, Beast Boy reached for his communicator. Nothing. _Oh, no_ , he thought. He let go of Terra's hand and patted his pockets frantically, checking to make sure he hadn't just misplaced the device, then groaned, remembering: he had lost his communicator in his fight with Slade.

A rumbling, crashing sound broke into the green Titan's thoughts. His heart froze, and he turned to see Terra, hands glowing yellow as she faced the cave. Even as he spotted her, the cave entrance collapsed, choked with fallen rocks and debris. Beast Boy didn't hesitate, he tackled the girl, bringing her to the ground and breaking her concentration.

"What are you _doing_?!" he shouted.

"Get off of me, Beast Boy!" Terra cried. "Slade is in there. I can kill him!" She raised a glowing hand, extending her power to the wall of earth before them, intent on bringing down the whole hill on top of the man who had twisted her.

The changeling reached forward to yank the hand back. "Brand's in there, too!" he reminded her. "Stop!"

Terra squirmed under him, struggling to free her arms, eyes flashing yellow with her power. "I don't care! It'd be worth it! Now let me go!" The ground was shaking again, and the blonde geomancer was on the verge of freeing herself. Beast Boy felt a moment of sorrow, as if part of his youth had just broken off and drifted away, never to return. He transformed into a gorilla and struck the side of the girl's head. She went still, unconscious.

_It's not worth it to me,_ he thought, hauling Terra over one shoulder. He threw a guilty glance at the blocked tunnel, but there was nothing for it. His communicator was gone, and he couldn't risk Terra waking up and bringing the whole cave down. He needed help. Beast Boy loped back in the direction of Titans' Tower.

* * *

Brand swung the T-sword again, aiming for his opponent's masked face, but – again – Slade had anticipated the attack, stepping in and catching his wrist in a vice-like grip. The Weapon winced as the hand tightened painfully. "Did you really think you were a match for me?" the man asked, the words a hiss through the slits in his mask. "Or perhaps you're only stalling for time while Terra your little friend escape." Slade twisted the Weapon's wrist and Brand cried out, the T-sword dropping from his nerveless fingers. "If I had wanted to go after them, you wouldn't have been able to stop me."

"You want me?" Brand asked. "Here I am!" He drew back his left fist to punch Slade. The masked man caught the punch easily with his free hand.

"Disappointing," Slade said. "Predictable." He increased the pressure of both hands, and the agony brought the white-haired teen to his knees.

Brand smirked through the pain. "You're breaking my heart," he said sarcastically. Slade's one visible eye narrowed, but – before he could act – the ground trembled, then shook violently. Chunks of the ceiling fell, crashing to the ground, and there was a prolonged rumbling from the entrance tunnel. Slade released his grip on Brand and staggered back, struggling to maintain his balance in the sudden earthquake.

As quickly as it had begun, the shaking of the cave stopped. Brand sprang up from his knees and charged the masked villain, head lowered in a tackle. He caught Slade and slammed him into one wall. A grunt of breath came from behind the mask, but the taller man raised both hands in a sledgehammer blow to the Weapon's back, knocking him down to the rocky floor again.

Before Slade could follow up with another attack, the cave shook again, vibrating like a struck drum. Brand took the opportunity to scramble away, trying to get some space between him and the masked man. He had underestimated Slade and needed to regroup. The aftershock stopped, and the Weapon regained his feet to find that his opponent hadn't moved. His single eye was still fixed on Brand. The steady regard sent a chill through the younger man, and he found himself backing away towards the tunnel. His progress was halted by a mound of fallen stone which now choked the entrance.

_Oh, damn_ , he thought, feeling his blood run cold. _No way out_. He would have to wait for Beast Boy to contact the others. Cyborg could clear the entrance, or Raven could just teleport the team through. The changeling was probably already in contact with the Titans, calling in the troops.

Slade paced forward unhurriedly. "They won't get here in time," he said as if reading Brand's thoughts. He kicked something in the Weapon's direction, a small disc-shaped object that skittered across the floor, stopping precisely at Brand's feet. He looked down to see a communicator. His blue eyes narrowed, and he reached a hand into his pocket, feeling his own communicator still where he had left it. His mouth went dry.

"I'm not finished with you yet," Slade said, his single eye staring balefully.

Brand bared his teeth in a snarl. "What do you want with me?" he asked. "You going to kill me? Try and turn me? Make me your next apprentice? Don't waste your time."

"You flatter yourself," Slade said in a low voice. "You don't have what it takes to survive my training. Not as you are now. You're not strong enough. You're not skilled enough."

Despite himself, Brand felt the sting of the insults. "Wanna' bet?!" he shouted, leaping forward, right fist pulled back. Slade leaned to one side, evading the punch, lifting his own gloved hand and catching the Weapon by the throat, slamming him down into the ground. Brand let out a pained groan, but lifted his leg in a kick that caught his opponent in the stomach, pushing him back. He vaulted back to his feet, rubbing his neck.

"You'll have to do a lot better than that," Slade said. "Show me what you can do. Prove yourself."

"Screw you!" Brand yelled. He yanked his own sword from his right shoulder and held it before him in both hands. Slade didn't even bother to draw his weapon, the metal staff he had used earlier, he simply waited. Brand advanced more cautiously this time, inching forward. He feinted once with the sword and lifted it for an overhead chop, dropping his right hand from the hilt to complete his attack left-handed

Reacting faster than Brand would have thought possible, Slade lifted his hands and _caught_ the blade as it fell. The Weapon's arm trembled as he pushed the sword, but the masked villain was more than strong enough to check its advance.

_As planned_ , Brand thought, smiling grimly. With his free right hand, he pulled Saber's sword from the sheath on his left hip, drawing the weapon like a katana to catch Slade with the edge of the blade. Slade leapt back, but not quite fast enough. The saber scraped against his armor as Brand completed the draw.

Slade nodded his approval. "Better," he said. "You're thinking; using all the tools at your disposal. I can see Robin's influence." He began circling Brand slowly, calmly. "I can also see his influence in the lack of intent in your attacks. They've taught you not to kill. That's unacceptable." The single eye narrowed and the evil voice lowered. "Perhaps you need motivation."

The Weapon felt a chill. He lowered his stance and readied his swords, his own held cross-wise in front of his face, the saber in his right hand held low and ready. "Stop talking," he growled, turning his head to keep the man in view. "I don't know what your game is, but I'm not your student."

"Nonetheless, you need to learn," Slade said. "You won't survive unless you do. And you certainly won't be able to save her like this."

Brand's lip twitched. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Raven," the masked man said. "There are people who still want her dead. And what will you do when that happens?"

"I'll help her," Brand said firmly.

Slade's voice was a hiss from behind the Weapon. "Would you?"

"Of course!"

"Then you'll have to be strong enough to stop _me_ , boy," Slade said. "Because if you aren't, then I'll kill the girl myself!"

Gritting his teeth, Brand spun, swords whistling through the air. Slade was ready for him, staff in hands, blocking the attack. A familiar red veil slipped over the Weapon's vision, his fury blinding him to all else but the his desire to beat Slade, to stop him. He attacked again and again, slamming his swords against his opponent's defenses. He lost Saber's sword. Slade's staff broke. His own blade spun off into the darkness. Lance's spear drew blood before it, too was yanked out of Brand's hands.

In the end, he went hand-to-hand against the Titans' greatest foe. The metallic mask rang as Brand's armored knuckles slammed against it once, twice... but Slade was better. After what seemed like an eternity but was actually only minutes, Brand was down on his hands and knees, battered and bruised.

Beaten.

He panted for breath, struggling to draw air into his aching chest. Slade approached, unperturbed by their battle. The masked man knelt down, considering him. Roughly, one gloved hand yanked back Brand's head by the hair, forcing the Weapon to meet his one-eyed gaze. Brand stared back defiantly with the last of his strength.

"Acceptable," Slade said. "You pass the test." He slammed Brand's head down to the ground, and everything went black.

* * *

It was nearly half an hour before the Teen Titans had reached the cave. Beast Boy had charged into the tower as a gorilla carrying the unconscious Terra, shocking his four teammates with his unexpected arrival. Several minutes were wasted while the changeling tried to explain the situation, stumbling over his words, rushing his story to the point of being nearly incoherent. Then they had to figure out what to do with Terra, deciding finally to sedate and bind her, forced to leave Beast Boy and Cyborg to watch the girl.

Finally, the remaining Titans had sped to the scene, and Raven had teleported the group past the collapsed tunnel and into the center chamber to find...

Nothing.

Nothing but two communicators.

Slade was gone. And so was Brand.

Now Raven stood outside the med-bay where Terra lay bound and weak from the tranquilizers she had been given. The blonde geomancer was conscious, aware, though the drugs seemed to be keeping her from focusing her powers. She stared at the ceiling, but occasionally she would suddenly jerk against her restraints, eyes widening and glancing first one way, then the other.

She was alone. Raven was surprised to find Beast Boy wasn't watching over the girl, but then, she had been surprised to hear him be the one to suggest keeping her unconscious while they went to try and rescue Brand. Something had happened back there, something more than the changeling's guilt about being forced to leave the Weapon behind. In other circumstances, Raven might have tried to talk to her friend about it, but not now.

Over twenty four hours had gone by, and there was no trace of Slade. They had searched all that evening, all through the night, and all the following day. Raven's eyes ached, all her muscles tense. She was weary, but not tired. Regret gnawed at her. She hated remembering how her last conversation with Brand had been an argument. If something happened to him...

Her hands closed reflexively into fists, as they had often done during the long, fruitless search. More than exhaustion, more than guilt, what she felt most after a full day of fear and toil was anger.

And there was only one outlet for that anger.

She phased through the door of the med-bay, sweeping into the room like a storm cloud, noting how Terra cringed away upon seeing her. Raven couldn't help but feel darkly pleased at the response.

"Raven," the blonde girl croaked through dry lips. "Did you... have you found...?"

Amethyst eyes fixed on the reclining figure. "No," Raven said, her voice cold. "No thanks to you."

Terra closed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't... you don't understand."

"Understand what?" the sorceress said. "Because of you, Beast Boy couldn't go back in to help Brand. He couldn't go back to get his communicator." Raven heard her voice rising, but she was too tired and furious to stop herself. "We could've saved him!"

The geomancer's blue eyes snapped open and she leaned forward against the straps holding her down. "Slade was in there! I had to do it!"

"You are so ungrateful," Raven bit out each syllable. "Brand was holding Slade off so Beast Boy could get you out, but you didn't even think about that, did you?" Terra opened her mouth, tears running down her face, but the dark-cloaked Titan cut her off. "No, Terra. Don't speak. And no more crying. I don't have the patience for it anymore."

She was losing control of her emotions, she could tell, but Raven had to say the words, had to give vent to her feelings. "If Brand is..." she halted, eyes narrowing. "If something has happened to Brand, I'll hold you responsible... and I will give you something to cry about. _Forever_." Her glare burned into the younger girl. "You know I can do it."

Terra nodded minutely, eyes wet with tears. Raven left her like that, stalking out of the room to continue the search. She wouldn't give up. She couldn't stop. She would find him.

And she would tell him the truth.


	28. Endgame III: Suspicion

"Raven! _Raven!_ "

Dimly, she heard the voice, somewhere behind her. Increasingly far behind her. She didn't listen, she had work to do. Raising one hand, she swiped it across her field of vision, sending an arc of dark energy through the air to tear apart a trio of Slade's robot commandos. They fell, sparking and shedding parts, but there were more behind that, and even more beyond those ones. Slade's forces were here in such numbers... he _must_ be here.

Another two days had gone by. Sleepless. Hopeless. There had been no trail to follow, no clues to find. The cave had been so clear of any scent for Beast Boy to track that Robin had concluded some kind of aerosol had been used to wipe the traces clean. Other forensic techniques had revealed little more. The unexplored recesses of the cavern had revealed a veritable maze of tunnels, impossible to map, though certainly they had been how Slade had escaped. The sorceress's own powers were weak and uncertain in the face of her emotional turmoil, unable to help her sense where the Weapon had gone.

The first forty-eight hours passed, and Raven's already-low spirits had sunk even further. She was familiar enough with Robin's investigative techniques to know how important those first two days were. Even the minimal trail they had would go cold, and any chance of finding Brand would be lost.

But the Titans had caught a break at last. Word had reached Robin that some of Slade's robots had been spotted in the industrial park. It wasn't much, but it was all they had. The Titans – minus Starfire, who had drawn the short straw and was back at the Tower with Terra – had rushed to the location and Cyborg had located a structure that was drawing a significantly larger amount of power than the surrounding buildings.

The concentration of robotic commandos inside was conclusive to Raven. They had found Slade. _But would Brand be here, too?_ Her Fear whispered. She set her jaw, tearing a power box off the wall and sending it crashing into another, larger robot.

"Raven!" Robin called again. One of the boy wonder's disc-shaped explosives whirred past her, taking out one robot, while a beam of sonic energy fired from Cyborg's arm cannon blasted apart another. With the space around her temporarily clear, the dark-cloaked teen turned reluctantly to the following Titans. "Don't get too far ahead," Robin warned, jogging up beside her, Cyborg and Beast Boy following.

"There isn't any time to waste," she said, turning back to face the next wave of mechanical soldiers.

With the four of them together, the pack of robots didn't last long, falling to martial arts, magic, cannon, and claw. "I know you're worried," Robin grunted, using his staff to behead one of the commandos. "We all are. But you're not going to do him any good by rushing in and getting yourself in trouble."

"This is Slade we're talking about," Cyborg added, picking off a pair of enemies with precision shots. "We can't be too careful."

A green tiger slashed apart another 'bot before shifting back into Beast Boy. "We'll get him back," the changeling said, serious as he had been for the few days.

Raven took a deep breath, let it out slowly. She knew they were right, but she was tired, concerned, not thinking straight. Her violet eyes closed, and she silently chanted her mantra a few times, struggling to find her center. With an effort, she closed up her emotions, Fear and Rage and the others, muffling their voices if not silencing them completely. When her eyes opened again, she was calmer, closer to normal. "You're right," she said, and she was surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded. "We will."

The building they had entered was a large factory with a high ceiling. All the machinery was quiescent, though Cyborg's sensors insisted _something_ inside was drawing power. Methodically, the four Titans moved through the huge room, dismantling robot commandos with practiced ease. When all was still, Beast Boy shifted into a rottweiler and sniffed around the silent conveyor belts, checking for any foes they may have missed.

Raven, Robin, and Cyborg advanced to the end of the room, where a large door led to another chamber beyond. Even as they approached, a thick metal partition dropped into place in front of the door.

" _Well it's not like they didn't already know we were coming,"_ the sorceress heard Brand's voice in her memory. She flinched at his imagined words, remembering when he had spoken them, so long ago now, or so it seemed, back when the two of them had attacked Weapon to rescue the Titans. That was when it had started, before they had really known each other.

She raised a hand, and – with an exertion of will – took hold of the slab of metal blocking their path with her powers, enveloping it with dark energy, and yanked it away, tearing it down as if it were tinfoil. It crumpled to the floor with a crash. Robin wasted no time, throwing another pair of explosives and blowing the conventional doors off their hinges. They charged in together, Beast Boy slightly behind, entering the next chamber – a duplicate of the one they had left – ready for anything.

What they found was Slade, standing with his back to them, leaning against a table, like a surgeon's table, on which was spread the figure of Brand. The white-haired teen's eyes were closed, his body still.

"You're early," Slade said calmly. "I'm not finished yet."

"Slade," Robin growled.

At any other time, Raven would have allowed the two of them, Robin and Slade, to speak and make their intentions known, but not now. "What are you doing?" she asked coldly.

The masked figure turned away from the table to face the Titans, standing tall and strong and fearless before their combined strength, shoulders squared. "The same thing I did with Terra, dear girl. I was going to point a dagger at the heart of your tower, in the middle of your little family. It worked so well the first time, and this one..." he tilted his head slightly to indicate the unconscious figure behind him. "This one has so many weaknesses, so many pressure points."

Whatever response Raven might have made was choked off at the image of Brand turning traitor the way the blonde geomancer. The very thought froze her heart.

"You won't get away with it," Beast Boy swore from the sorceress's right. "We won't let you ruin someone else's life."

Cyborg raised his arm cannon, the aperture already glowing cobalt as he charge the weapon. "Now just step away from our friend, so we can kick your butt."

"If you think there are enough of you," Slade said, his voice dark yet mocking, "then feel free to try."

With a yell, Robin leapt forward, Beast Boy at his side, Cyborg staying back to wait for an opening to use his sonic cannon. Raven hesitated a moment, torn between her desire to help her friends and her concern for the still unmoving figure laying on the table before her. The bionic Titan at her shoulder broke the mental stalemate for her. "Check on Brand," he said. "We'll take care of Slade!"

Raven threw a nod to her friend and rushed forward to the Weapon's side. She reached out with her power to check his physical status, to heal his wounds if he had any, but even as she did, his blue eyes fluttered open, focusing on her after a few moments. There was a slight narrowing of his eyes, a flash of something like fear, and then his expression changed to one of relief. "Raven," he said, the name almost a sigh. "You're safe."

"That should be my line," Raven said wryly, fighting back the sudden warmth she felt, hiding it as she did her other strong emotions. "You're the one who got captured."

Brand brought one hand to his head, wincing. "Oh yeah..." he said. "Remind me not to do that again." This time, the dark-cloaked sorceress couldn't quite hide the tiny smile that came to her lips. "What's the situation?"

"The usual. We've got a bad guy to beat."

"Slade?" Brand asked, and again, there was a flicker of fear, quickly buried under his anger. "Where are my weapons?"

Raven cast about for the swords and spear Brand always carried and found them under the surgical table. She took hold of the weapons and handed them to the white-haired teen, who snatched them away eagerly, gratefully. He swung his legs over the edge of the table and rose, unsteady at first, but regaining his strength after a moment. "Are you sure you're okay to do this?" the girl asked.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Brand said, giving her a quick, insincere smirk. Together, they turned to face the ongoing battle.

The three other Titans were weaving back and forth, going after Slade with hit-and-run tactics, first Robin with his staff, fists, and feet, then Beast Boy, shifting rapidly between different animal forms, then Cyborg, firing his sonic cannon and occasionally closing within range for a powerful punch. Somehow, even under this assault, the masked villain was holding his own, dodging or blocking every attack, while getting off a few of his own strikes.

But when Slade saw Brand off the table and standing at Raven's side, he seemed to hesitate, and Robin took the opportunity to slam his booted foot against the man's face. The black and orange mask flew off into the depths of the chamber, behind one of the conveyor belts. Even as it did so, Slade collapsed, falling to his knees, head lolling back. The Titans froze, and – after a moment – the spot where Slade's face should have been lit up, displaying a screen with the number "30" on it. It began counting down immediately.

29... 28... 27...

Robin turned to the others, eyes wide behind his own mask. "Everyone get out of here, _now_!"

The five of them scrambled out of the room, out of the factory, leaving behind the fallen Slade-bot and the dismantled robot commandos, leaving behind the machines and the conveyors, barely making it free of the structure before it exploded spectacularly behind them. Heat and debris washed over them, burning and stinging.

But they had escaped. This time.

* * *

Robin watched the tableau in front of him with narrowed eyes, staring at the figure on the other side of the glass the way he would a poisonous animal crouched and ready in front of him. But the threat he saw wasn't so obvious, and it wasn't so imminent. It was there, however. And he wasn't sure what to do about the danger he sensed before him.

The figure was ensconced, enthroned in what appeared to be a nest of snake-like tubes, extending from his face and exposed chest and the strange headpiece he wore. His blue eyes flickered with his impatience, though the expression on his face was somewhat softer, a faint almost-smile directed to the dark-haired girl who sat nearby, explaining the procedure to him in short, blunt phrases.

"No sign of any nano-machines in his bloodstream," Cyborg reported from behind Robin's left shoulder. "No pathogens, no explosives, no recording devices." In the glass, the boy wonder saw the big Titan lift his head from his computers. "There's nothing there."

Robin chewed on a thumbnail. "Check again," he said.

Cyborg's reflection shook its head. "Man, I've already double-checked the readings. I'm telling you, there's nothing there."

The masked Titan didn't turn his head, didn't raise his voice. "Check again," he repeated. Cyborg sighed and bent back to his screens.

"Robin?" the soft voice asked from beside him. "What troubles you?"

"I don't know yet," Robin answered. His hidden eyes remained fix on Brand where the Weapon sat in the med-bay. "I just... I don't know."

Starfire stepped closer to put a comforting and on his arm, her reflection appearing in the glass. "You must suspect something," she said. "You would not even allow me to greet you when you and the others returned from rescuing Brand. Not until Cyborg was able to examine all of you for toxins. Then you quarantined everyone from each other while I tested each of you separately with the nano-detector. What are you so frightened of?"

"It's Slade," Robin said, shaking his head. "He was up to something, but I can't tell what it was."

The Tamaranean girl blinked. "Whatever it was, you stopped it, did you not?"

"That's what he said: 'You're early. I'm not finished yet.'"

"Then what is it?" Starfire persisted.

The boy wonder let out a huff of breath. "It was too easy, Star. We just so happened to get word of his robot commandos on the move? After the trail had gone cold? He was in the clear. I think he let us find him."

"What about all those robots inside the factory? Doesn't seem like he was 'letting' us do anything," Cyborg said, still examining his readings.

"What about them?" Robin asked. "They didn't even scratch us. And once we got through them, there was Slade. By himself. With Brand right out in the open. It wasn't even the real Slade."

After a moment, Starfire spoke again, hesitant. "He did try to blow you up. Could that have been the purpose of the trap, if trap it was?"

Finally, Robin turned away from Brand and Raven to face his other two friends, who faced him in turn, Cyborg not even pretending to take readings anymore. "If it was a trap, it was a sloppy trap," the masked Titan said. He paused for effect. "Slade doesn't _do_ 'sloppy'. No, something else is going on here, I just can't figure out what it is."

Cyborg frowned deeply. "What if he did exactly what he said he was going to do? What if he turned Brand against us?"

"In only three days?" Starfire asked. "I do not believe it is possible."

"It doesn't seem likely," Robin said, "but..." he sighed. "Cyborg, I want you to reset all the passwords, all the codes. Make sure everything is locked down tight. And double-check on Terra, too. Are you sure about the power inhibitor you cooked up?"

The big Titan gave an expansive shrug. "As sure as I can be. The collar should stop her from using her powers. She's in a cell for now. Between those two things, we should be able to keep her out of trouble until someone comes to pick her up."

For a long moment, none of the three spoke. "Is it possible that you are only being... a 'pair annoyed'?" Starfire asked at last.

"Paranoid," Robin corrected gently. "And I hope I am. With Slade involved, though, I can't take that chance. None of us can."

* * *

"You finally came to visit. I figured you were avoiding me."

Beast Boy didn't answer the blonde right away. He stepped into the room gingerly, still unsure if he should have come, but the young man knew he couldn't just hide from Terra until she went away. It was time to put away some of his childishness and take more responsibility... even if it hurt.

Blue eyes followed him as he entered, peering out from under a curtain of yellow hair and between thick bars which separated his side of the room from hers. Terra looked skinnier than usual, paler, too, and she fidgeted restlessly where she sat on her cot.

"I was avoiding you," the changeling said at last.

Terra scooted back onto the bed, hugging her knees to her chest, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. The power inhibitor glittered around her neck. The device Cyborg had created was supposed to interfere with the geomancer's abilities, though the exact science of the collar was well beyond Beast Boy's knowledge. "You're still mad at me," she said. It wasn't a question.

"What you did..." he began, shaking his head.

"I know what I did!" Terra snapped. "None of you get it, _none_ of you have had to go through what I went through. The things Slade did, what he made me do..." she shook her head, sending her blonde hair swaying. "He's a monster."

Beast Boy felt a muscle under his eye twitch. "I _know_ he's a monster, Terra. We've seen monsters before, fought them, almost been killed by them, but we don't kill them ourselves! And we especially don't sacrifice other people to do it!"

" _You_ don't," Terra corrected him. "You haven't had to." She stared at him, her eyes as cold as Brand's had ever been. "I did. To make him stop the first time so he couldn't control me. And then he came back, and he's trying to control me again." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I can still hear him. Talking to me. Taunting me."

A shiver ran through the emerald shapeshifter's body. He remembered the moment when he realized Terra wouldn't listen to reason, outside the cave when she had been intent on burying Slade and Brand along with him. The awful moment when he figured out the truth and had been forced to knock the girl out.

He took a deep breath. "Terra... we contacted your foster parents, told them you were all right."

A semblance of life and warmth returned to the geomancer's expression. "Thank you," she murmured. "Are they safe? I didn't even think... Slade might use them to get to me."

"They're fine," Beast Boy reassured her.

"Good... they're nice people. I don't want anything to happen to them. I... miss them."

The boy approached the bars, taking hold of one of them hesitantly, leaning his forehead against the cold metal. "You'll see them again." His green eyes shifted, looking away from Terra. "Just not right away."

Terra's hands tightened around her legs. "Are you sending me to jail?" she asked in a small voice.

Beast Boy shook his head quickly. "No! No..."

"Then what is it?" she asked. The changeling didn't answer. "Come on, Beast Boy. I know things are weird right now, but we've always been able to talk. So talk to me. Please."

For a moment, he almost relented, he felt the familiar warmth and affection he had always associated with the blonde girl. Part of him wanted things to go back the way they were, the way he had always wanted them to go. He wanted to believe she would come back and be the girl he wanted her to be, and they would live together and fight together and... all the rest.

It made him angry.

"I kept faith in you... for so long," he said. "I made excuses for you, waited for you, believed the best since the beginning. After you betrayed us, I tried to convince the others it was some kind of mistake. Even the last few months, after I found you again at Murakami, I honestly thought you had amnesia. But it was all lies, Terra."

"Beast Boy..."

He continued on, needing to get the words out. "But the worst lie was the one I told myself." The changeling took a long, shuddering breath, fighting back tears. "Because I convinced myself I could help you. And I was wrong." The blonde watched him, silently crying. "The kind of help you need isn't something I'm capable of."

One green hand clenched around the metal bar it held. "Robin's been talking to some experts, trying to set something up... he thinks he can get you a psychiatrist. Someone that can help you the way I can't."

Terra raised her head, eyes wide with disbelief. "You think I'm crazy..." she breathed.

"Not crazy. Just... you're not well, Terra."

The girl stood up from the bed, small hands tightened into fists, approaching the bars. "You think I'm crazy," she repeated, stronger this time.

"What am I supposed to think?!" Beast Boy shouted. "After what you did, after what you just told me! You say you can hear Slade in your head, how is that _not_ crazy?"

Terra just stared, body trembling with emotion. "I could see this coming from one of the others, Garfield, but not you. You don't believe me... You think I'm imagining this?! You think I'm making it up?!" She shook her head. "Get out."

The changeling backed away from the bars, feeling his heart breaking, hating himself for what he had said, but knowing it was necessary. The geomancer grabbed the bars with both hands, pressing her face against them.

"Get out!" she screamed. "Get out of here!"

"Goodbye, Terra," Beast Boy murmured. He turned away, and left the sobbing, hysterical girl behind.

* * *

The room was dark but for the delicately scented candles slowly burning in carefully chosen corners, every line and point arranged just so to enhance Raven's focus. And focus is what the sorceress needed most right now. While Brand had been rescued and appeared to be safe, there was still the question of what Slade's plan had been. And behind that concern lay the one, overwhelming worry which had haunted her for so long.

She had sworn to herself that she would tell the Weapon the truth, but even now that he was back, she hesitated. Raven told herself it was because the situation was still potentially precarious.

It was a lie.

But one the dark-haired girl had convinced herself was the truth. A distressing habit these days.

_If only I could be sure..._ she thought.

Even as the words formed in her mind, there came a knock on her door. Raven sighed. Her meditation hadn't been very successful anyway. She rose from her cross-legged position in the center of the room and went to the door, sliding it open a few inches. Her violet eyes blinked at who she saw on the other side of the portal.

"Brand?"

The annoyingly familiar smirk formed on the white-haired teen's face. "Hey there," he greeted her. His half-smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. "Can I come in?"

Raven hesitated, struggling with her usual distaste for someone entering her room as well as an unfamiliar flash of warmth. Unbidden, the memory of their two kisses appeared in her mind, the taste and feel of them, the heat of desire. With a supreme force of will, the girl stopped herself from blushing, giving the Weapon a quick nod and opening the door for him.

He crossed the threshold cautiously, as if concerned about booby traps. Raven noticed with a twinge of discomfort that he was fully armed, carrying all four of his weapons. "Expecting trouble?" she asked, broaching the subject with a light, wry tone.

"Always," Brand said. Raven had expected a joke or a sarcastic quip, but the Weapon sounded serious.

"What's wrong?" she asked, matching his tone.

He made a show of walking the perimeter of the room, peering at the various books and trinkets scattered about, but it came across as busy work, as if he were distracting himself. "I, uh..." he threw her a quick, embarrassed grin. "I wanted to see you. For a little bit there, I wasn't sure I'd be able to again."

"You're fine, Brand," she said, quick to reassure him. "We both are." He nodded absently, but seemed unconvinced. The silence stretched to an uncomfortable length until she added, almost too quiet to hear, "I'm glad you're safe."

His shoulders slumped. "Am I?" he asked, turning away. "I've been poked and prodded and examined more in the last couple of days than I was when I first came to stay here." He lifted a hand one of the candles, but refrained from touching the flickering flame. "What's really going on?"

Raven sighed. "Robin thinks Slade did something to you when he held you captive." Briefly, she related how the masked villain had once infected four of the Titans with nano-machines in order to coerce the boy wonder into being his apprentice and how – later – he had infected Robin with a chemical reagent that made him hallucinate he was being attacked by Slade.

At this, Brand turned to face her, staring intently. "Did you test me for the reagent?" he asked.

"It was one of the first things we checked," Raven answered. "Why?"

Brand who took a deep breath. "Because I think Robin's right."

The sorceress felt a surge of alarm. " _What_?" she asked, her tone sharp.

"It's Slade. I don't know what it is, but he scared the hell out of me, Raven," the Weapon explained. "He scares me and I can't shake him. I keep thinking I can see him out of the corner of my eye, can almost hear his voice." He lifted one hand to his temple, massaging it. "He did something. It's like he's in my head." The faint smile returned. "Either that or I'm going crazy."

" _It's like he's in my head."_ Raven let the words take a few turns in her mind. "There's one way to be sure," she said slowly. Brand tilted his head at her, silently querying. "You remember when we first met? I could... go inside your mind again. See what you see."

The Weapon stared at her, blue eyes intense. "Would it be safe for you?"

Raven almost smiled, touched by his concern. "It should be, yes," she said. He bit his lip and nodded.

"Okay, when?"

The sorceress raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

His smirk returned, more genuine this time. "It's a date."

This time she did blush, grateful that the room was dim enough that he probably couldn't see it. "Take a seat on the floor," she directed him. "And try and relax. This should be easier than it was back then since you're not fighting me, but the more receptive you are, the less difficult it will be." He dutifully followed her instructions, sitting cross-legged on the floor and breathing evenly, watching her the entire time.

Raven sat across from him, lifting both hands to gently touch his forehead. "All right," she murmured, gathering her power. "Here we go..." The dark-cloaked Titan reached out with her magic, brushing her awareness against that of Brand, finding his mind open to her probings. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, pushing deeper, and...

Something happened.

There was a glare of light from her dresser, where a certain mirror was kept, and a terrible _wrenching_ sensation, similar to being thrown in a sparring match. She felt herself twisting, descending into a strangely familiar well of darkness, still maintaining contact with Brand, who fell beside her. It all happened quickly, too quickly for her to react or even move, and then it was over.

Her violet eyes snapped open to find that she was still sitting as she had been, Brand in front of her, his own eyes wide. His lips parted and he gazed around at their surroundings. "What the hell was that?" he asked. "Where are we?"

Raven couldn't answer, she felt as if she had been sucker punched, the breath knocked out of her body, and her head ached fiercely. The two of them sat on a bare, rocky plain which stretched only about a hundred meters in every direction. Past that, beyond the tiny worldlet they rested on, was nothing. Nothing but an expanse of starry darkness.

"Is this... my mind?" Brand asked, looking around at the cold, silent emptiness surrounding them.

"No," Raven answered, her voice low and hoarse.

A pair of small black birds with dull red eyes descended from the night sky and landed next to them. Their long beaks opened and they let out a very un-bird-like cry: _"Turn back! Turn back!"_

"It's mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: One step closer to the end. Two of these scenes are worth mentioning: Robin's section and Beast Boy's section. Both of which were scenes I knew had to happen, but I hadn't really worked them out ahead of time. The Robin section is a utilitarian scene, but I think it exemplifies the "visual" way I construct scenes, with Robin standing in front of the glass, talking to reflections of Cyborg and Starfire.
> 
> The Beast Boy section, probably my favorite in this chapter (against all odds), was another one I knew had to happen... kind of something that's been building for a while. Again, it's all about applying pressure, trying to get the characters to a certain point more organically. Beast Boy's slow maturation has been a bit of a "B-story" for "The Edge Between..." and that pays off here, while also, hopefully, providing some insight into Terra.
> 
> As for the Raven/Brand segment, well... there's not too much I can say about this. In fact, I'll warn you right now that the next chapter, possibly the next two chapters, will be presented without afterword or comment.
> 
> I'm going to be honest... if I pull this off right, the next chapter should be a helluva ride. It is the core, the heart of everything I've written so far, the time when truths are revealed. I'm excited about it, and I hope those of you who are reading will like it, too.
> 
> So please, read, review, comment, and join me next time for "Revelation".


	29. Endgame IV: Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Some quick housekeeping items. First, I forgot to list a few more soundtrack songs.
> 
> Terra's Theme: "Facedown" - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
> 
> Brand vs. Slade : "The Red" - Chevelle
> 
> On with the show...

_Previously..._

_Once upon a time, there was a boy named Brand. Brand was created - along with his sister Saber and brother Lance - by an organization named 'Janus' as a Weapon, assassins cloned with alterations to make them stronger, faster, and recover quicker than normal humans. Janus sent the three siblings to the west coast, to Jump City, where a girl named Raven lived as a super heroine with her team of friends known as the Teen Titans. Despite the girl's good works, Raven - the daughter of the demon Trigon - was potentially one of the most dangerous people on the planet, capable of bringing an end to the world, and Weapon had been tasked with her death._

_Weapon's first attempt failed, and Brand was captured by Raven, while all of the other Titans were captured by Weapon. Rather than wait for a trade, the girl decided to take the initiative and ask Brand to help her save her friends. She managed to persuade the Weapon to assist her, and - together - the boy and the girl traveled across the desert, fighting the boy's brother, Lance, along the way, saving each other's lives and learning about each other. In the end, the pair drove off Saber and saved the Titans, and Brand left to go his own way._

_It wasn't long before the boy and the girl crossed paths again. Janus had pursued Brand, angry over his betrayal, and the boy - with nowhere else to turn - pleaded with his former foes, the Teen Titans, for sanctuary. Against the girl's wishes, the boy was allowed to stay, with the caveat that he would join the Titans in their battles against the many super villains in Jump City. It was a difficult transition, but Brand slowly began to adjust to his new life, overcoming his own worse nature in a desire to get closer to the girl. It was never easy, and the boy almost gave up until a vision of Raven convinced him to give the girl more time to accept him._

_The boy, the girl, and the girl's friends later traveled to the planet Tamaran, where an evil army was attempting to resurrect a dead goddess and threaten the galaxy. Side-by-side, the girl and the boy fought their hardest, buying time for Raven's friends to save the day. Through this crucible of danger and death, the girl and the boy grew closer, even if neither of them quite wanted to admit it._

_Afterwards, they returned to Earth, where they found Janus had not been idle in their absence. The boy's old organization had been kidnapping other super-powered teens and children to experiment on them and clone a super-powered army of their own. The Titans - teaming up with their new friends and old enemies - attacked Janus to rescue the prisoners. The mission was successful, but only at a great cost. One of their allies had been lost, and the boy had been forced to kill his sister, as well as coming face to face with his own origin._

_The boy was understandably upset by this turn of events, but his love for the girl kept him anchored and sane. Even after they kissed, though, the girl seemed intent on pushing the boy away. At least... until the boy was captured by the Teen Titans' greatest enemy, Slade. Raven and her friends searched for Brand desperately and - at last - when all hope seemed lost, they found him and rescued him. The girl resolved to reveal the truth about their feelings, but her uncertainty about Slade's true plans delayed her. The boy informed her he felt that Slade had done something to him, so the girl decided to go into his mind to be sure._

_Unfortunately, something went wrong. The pair didn't end up in Brand's mind, but Raven's._

* * *

_And now..._

When Raven was calm, centered, and focused, this internal realm was the perfect place to meditate. It was cold and silent and dim, almost completely clear of any distractions or annoyances. Empty. The hazards of "Nevermore" as she sometimes called it – a literal inside joke – were known to her; she faced them every day. Her hidden thoughts, her muffled emotions, her past and her future, all could rear their heads here to be faced in the relative safety of the sorceress's own mind.

Her troubles could overwhelm her, but they were a risk she faced every day.

Brand, however, was a different story. He was an outsider, a stranger in this realm, and what could inconvenience Raven could just as easily destroy him. The Weapon shouldn't be here, and she was at a loss to explain what had happened, what had caused the two of them to be transported to Nevermore instead of Brand's mind.

"Did you do anything?" she asked, rising to her feet and gazing around the empty plain where they found themselves. The motion frightened the two black birds that had alighted nearby, startling them into a fluttering backstep. From their new vantage, they tilted their heads to stare at the duo, occasionally letting out their plaintive cries of _"Turn back!"_

Brand stared at the birds, noticeably disturbed. "What would I do?" he asked. "What _could_ I do? I wouldn't even know how to start to... do whatever just happened."

Raven's amethyst eyes closed. "I know... I'm just trying to figure this out." The initial surprise of their new situation was wearing off and she was beginning to realize the real dangers of Brand being here. Especially now. The distant stars seemed to dim even more, losing color, going gray. More of the little birds flapped down, perching all around them.

"We can get out of here, right?" the white-haired young man asked.

Her nod was quick, covering her own uncertainty. "I just need to focus..." She swallowed, gathering her power, trying to ignore the cries of the ravens all around her getting louder and more insistent. Even with all the distractions, she managed to tap into her magic, though it was elusive, slippery. One pale hand extended from under her purple cloak, glowing darkly. Her power extended, and...

Stopped.

The girl's lips tightened and she reached out with her other hand, trying again. But it was as if some fierce will were set against her, keeping her from opening a portal back into Titans' Tower. If she could harness her power more effectively, Raven might have been able to force her way through, but her emotions were too scattered, clamoring for attention. It was all she could do to stop them from manifesting here. "It's not working," she admitted at last, frustration coloring the words.

Flocks of birds were alighting all around them now, and the stars were completely leeched of color. "Come on, Raven," Brand said. "You've gotta' calm down." He stepped closer to put a warm, comforting hand on her shoulder.

Even as he did, the birds transformed in an almost Beast Boy-like fashion, their beaks lengthening and sharpening, their red eyes flaring brighter even as they narrowed, mouths now filled with razor sharp teeth. As one, they hissed, then – with a collective 'caw' like a massive crow – almost deafening in its volume, they flew away in a storm of black wings.

Raven froze, whispering her mantra almost frantically, trying to control the emotions that were now rising to the surface, triggered by the Weapon's touch, his closeness and his concern.

But it was too late.

The flock of ravens scattered, so thick the sorceress couldn't see past them, and she and the Weapon threw up their arms to protect themselves. The birds disappeared into the darkness between the stars. In their place, a new figure stood: A duplicate of Raven, hunched within a gray cloak, eyes darting fearfully between Brand and the purple-cloaked girl standing in front of him.

Raven heard Brand's gasp, but she didn't look at the Weapon, her own gaze fixed on the frightened copy before them. The sorceress felt herself balanced on a precipice, the one she had been walking for months now.

"Who... what is that?" Brand asked.

A sigh slipped from the true Raven's lips. "We're in my mind," she explained again. "In this place... my emotions can appear before me in physical form. It's a way for me to face all the feelings I can't let affect me when I'm with others. If I did, if I let them overwhelm me, people could get hurt."

The Weapon was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. "Which emotion does she represent?"

"Fear," Raven breathed.

"And... why is she here?"

Raven squeezed her eyes closed. "Because you are."

Even without seeing him, she could imagine Brand's shoulders slumping with his exhalation. "You're afraid of me," he said, his voice flat, hiding whatever his own feelings were.

She shook her head, her dark hair swaying gently with the motion. "No," she corrected him. "I'm afraid of you finding out the truth."

"What truth?" he asked.

With those words, Raven felt the will which had been resisting her power intensify and take shape, filling her with dread. Her knees buckled and she fell to the dirt, hands lifted to her temples, squeezing her head as if to stop it from exploding. Pain and horror assailed her, though it had no definite source. She felt more than saw Fear step closer to her, responding to her feelings, heard Brand cry out her name.

But there was another sound. A voice that had no business being in her head.

"Yes, dear girl, why don't you tell him what 'truth' you're so afraid of revealing."

Raven's breath caught in her throat. Fighting against the pain, she pried her eyes open to confirm what she already knew. Behind Fear, standing tall and proud and untroubled in the very depths of her own mind was a familiar figure in a black and orange mask.

Slade.

* * *

" _Let's take it from the top,"_ Robin heard himself say on the recording. His masked eyes stared at the monitor, watching the black and white recording of his debriefing/interrogation of Brand, taken after they had all been certified free of blood-borne reagents, nano-machines, or toxins. He had sat at one end of the table and Brand, still unsteady from his three-day imprisonment, had sat at the other.

" _Like I told you, after Beast Boy and Terra left, I tried to fight Slade myself, tried to buy some time until the rest of you could get there,"_ Brand said tiredly. _"I didn't realize until later that Beast Boy had lost his communicator. Not until after Terra closed off the cave."_

" _So you fought him by yourself,"_ Robin prompted.

The Weapon had nodded, looking away, picking at the table's surface with one hand. _"It... didn't go well. He had the advantage from the start, and he knew how to use it, but it was more than that."_ Brand clenched his fists. _"He taunted me. He knew exactly what to say to get inside my head."_

The image of Robin pursed its lips, an expression echoed with the current Robin. He knew all too well what the white-haired teen had gone through from his own battles with Slade. _"He beat you,"_ the boy wonder had said. It hadn't been a question. Brand had just nodded. _"And what about after?"_

On the monitor, Brand scrubbed his hands over his face. _"That's the thing,"_ he said. _"I don't_ remember _anything after that. Slade knocked me out and then... nothing. Nothing until I woke up to see Raven standing over me."_

" _You were gone for three days, Brand."_

" _He must've kept me unconscious the whole time,"_ the Weapon said. His tone was uncertain, and with good reason. He hadn't believed it himself and neither had Robin.

" _So... what? Slade hauled you around for_ three days _while you were sleeping?"_ the lead Titan had asked, making it clear what he thought of that theory. _"That's hard to believe. Especially since we both know how quickly your body metabolizes drugs."_

Brand had looked sharply at him. _"Are you calling me a liar?"_ he growled.

" _I'm trying to understand,"_ Robin had said stiffly. _"Trying to figure out what happened."_

" _And I'm telling you I don't remember."_

The image of Robin leaned forward. _"Think harder."_

Those words had been the last straw for the Weapon. He had stood up abruptly, blue eyes flashing. _"Get off my back, Robin. We've been over this a thousand times already. I've told you_ everything _I know. You want to find out more, track down Slade and ask him yourself."_ Brand has risen and walked out of the room, leaving Robin sitting in silence for a few moments before the recording ending.

In the present, the masked Titan stared at the blank monitor long after the image had faded. There was too much about this that didn't add up. The use of Terra as bait, the singling out of Brand by Slade, the blank three days in the Weapon's memory, the ease of his rescue... All of it seemed too convenient, too pat. What had been the point? What had Slade done in those three days?

With a sign, Robin scrolled back to the beginning of the interrogation.

" _... was more than that. He taunted me. He knew exactly what to say to get inside my head."_

The boy wonder frowned. Not far enough. He scrolled back further, but before he could watch the recording again, a red light began flashing, painting his room in bloody hues, and an alarm started hooting. At almost the same moment, his communicator went off. Fast as thought, Robin grabbed the little device and flipped it open to see Cyborg's dark face on the screen.

"Bad news," the big Titan reported. "Terra's escaped."

"How?" Robin asked, already out of his chair and heading for the door. He could see from the shifting of the background behind Cyborg that his friend was also on the move.

"Too soon to tell. There's a gap in the security footage, so I can't see what happened. I have the computer trying to reconstruct it, but it won't be finished for a bit." A deep frown crossed Cyborg's face. "The power inhibitor might have fritzed out."

Robin grit his teeth. Was this part of the same chain of events as everything else or just bad luck? "We'll figure it out later," he said. "Right now, our priority is getting Terra back in custody. She's too dangerous right now to leave her running around free. We'll split up and search the city." He flicked a switch on the side of his communicator, toggling the device over to link with the other Titans.

"Terra's escaped," he explained briefly. "Everyone split into pairs, one on the ground, one in the air. Starfire and I will go east, Cyborg and Beast Boy north." Doubt closed Robin's throat momentarily, but they needed all hands on deck for this. "Raven and Brand head south." Without waiting for acknowledgments, he closed the team channel and opened one to Starfire. "I'm taking the R-cycle," he said, "meet me outside."

Starfire's pretty face, somber at the prospect of this new mission, appeared on the screen and the Tamaranean nodded. "As you wish," she said.

And so the search for Terra was on, but Robin didn't realize two members of his team were unable to hear him, as far from his reach as he was from theirs.

* * *

Raven blinked and shook her head, her pain diminished but her Fear remaining close, struggling and failing to get back on her feet. Slade was still there. He was unconcerned, unsympathetic, unaware or uncaring of how much of a violation his presence was here in her mind. The very idea sickened her. She remembered all too well this man's casual disregard for her existence when he had been working as her father Trigon's flunky. She had been treated as nothing more than an object, a seed planted for the sole purpose of service as the demon's portal.

"You can't be here," the sorceress spat, not bothering to conceal her anger and disgust.

"Oh, but I am," Slade said, his voice dark velvet.

"How?" Brand asked from behind her. She heard the familiar sound of metal against leather as he drew the T-sword.

The masked man tilted his head back as if savoring a sea breeze. "Quite simple, really," he said. "You brought me, Weapon." The last word dripped with contempt.

Raven felt her heart freeze in her chest. Had Brand betrayed them? She felt a pang of remembered anguish, the face of Malchior – whom she had trusted and liked – who had turned out to really be the villainous dragon, Rorek. The girl spared a glance at the young man standing over her shoulder, but his expression wasn't one of victorious gloating, but disbelief and rage.

"Liar!" he shouted. The Weapon leapt forward, edge-less sword drawn back for a vicious strike against his opponent. Slade didn't even move, just watched calmly as Brand attacked, unphased even when the T-sword went straight through his body like he wasn't even there, leaving not even a ripple in the masked villain's form. Brand skidded in the colorless dirt on the other side of Slade, surprise marring his landing. He spun, blue eyes wide.

Raven could read Brand's shock in his face and posture at the failed attack, but he hesitated barely a moment before striking again, aiming for Slade's head this time. Once more, the sword slipped through the taller man like smoke. Quick as a snake and without looking, Slade reached out with one hand and grabbed Brand's throat. Although he had seemed incorporeal when being attacked, the masked villain's hand was apparently real enough to choke the Weapon.

"Be still," Slade said in a commanding voice, and – instantly – Brand's arms went limp at his side. The man released him and the Weapon stood where he was, only his eyes registering his anger and confusion.

She had seen enough. "Slade!" she cried, lifting her hand and extending her power, but – like Brand's attack – Raven found nothing solid to grasp, nothing to focus her power on. Before she could regather her strength to try again, the pressure and the pain returned, blurring her vision. Fear, who she had forgotten for a moment, huddled behind her as if for protection, clinging to Raven's cloak. Slade approached without hurry, hands clasped behind his back.

"If you're both finished," he said, menace threaded through the words. "Allow me to explain... _everything._ " The masked face turned slightly to turn its one eye upon the motionless figure of Brand. "As I told you during your... 'rescue', the Weapon was lured into my grasp to turn him against you, using him to destroy you, as was his purpose when he was created. To that end, I implanted this into his brain," Slade jabbed a thumb at his own chest. "A neural copy of my own personality, my own will. And when you attempted to go into his mind, I was able to exert my will to re-direct your power and take us here instead."

Brand's body was frozen, but his mouth worked with some difficulty. "So it _was_ the reagent!" he said.

Slade shook his head. "Nothing so clumsy as that," Slade countered. "The reagent was a toy in comparison. The device I used on Terra was a crude predecessor to this: A tiny chip inserted into your brain which contains everything I am, everything I know, and able to access all your thoughts and memories." Raven's breath caught in her throat, and the masked man threw her an inscrutable glance. "It's a little something I took from Cadmus before we went our separate ways."

"Cadmus?" Raven asked, trying to cover her earlier slip.

"The organization of which Janus was an offshoot," Slade said. "I was a soldier once, and when the government called, I answered. They asked for my help with a certain project, and – for a brief time – I saw its potential. I agreed to give them what they wanted. But they took what I had provided and squandered it, limited it, doomed it to failure."

Across from Raven, on the other side of Slade, Brand's eyes widened. "Weapon," he breathed.

Again, the masked head turned to regard him. "Very good," he admitted. "Yes, Weapon was intended to create an army of super soldiers. Fighters that were stronger, faster, more resilient than anything that could be obtained from even the most ambitious breeding program. Someone got cold feet, however, and cut funding, leaving only a few clones. Ones created before the procedure was perfected."

"Oh, no," Raven murmured, the picture becoming clearer in her mind as Slade spoke. Her breath was loud and ragged in her ears, and her eyes flicked away from the villain before her, away from Brand.

"You understand now, don't you, girl?" Slade hissed, kneeling down in front of her eagerly.

Brand sounded confused. "Understand what? What was your role with Weapon? Who are you?"

"Don't be dense, boy," Slade said, irritated at the interruption, rising and walking to the young man's side. "Cadmus came to me for a reason: I was given a serum back when I was a soldier that increased my strength, my speed, my focus, and my ability to recover from wounds. It made me something more than human. _That's_ what they wanted to recreate. But the serum never worked on anyone else, so they decided to skip ahead in the process."

He reached up with both hands, grasping either side of his mask. Raven forced herself to watch, knowing what she would see, filled with loathing and despair, but compelled to witness the event. The mask loosened, and Slade lifted it free to reveal his face. Not a skull. Not a monster. Just a man. A man with white hair and a single, cold blue eye.

But it was the structure of the face that caused Brand to gasp, that made Raven close her eyes. It was blurred by age, by the black patch covering one eye and the white goatee, but there was no doubt. It was Brand's face.

Or, to put it more precisely... Brand had Slade's face.

"You asked who I am," Slade said. "Don't you know what it means to meet your maker?"

_Not this,_ Raven thought, shaken with horror and disgust. _Not this._ But it was true. Horribly true. At lightning speed, her thoughts flew through the past several months. Their first meeting, the desert, her lie about the blood chain, his return, their arguments. Jalascis. Janus. Their kiss on Thanksgiving night. Their second kiss only a few days ago. Her relief at finding him safe. But in her memories, it was a young Slade she saw.

" _You wanted to know what happened in there?"_ she heard Brand say again, as he had the night of their first kiss. _"I found out what I was. The same thing Red X was. Clones. Freaks of science with fake memories. Tools created by someone else to do their dirty work."_

The sorceress reeled under the weight of the revelation. Brand and the other Weapons were clones of Slade. Brand _was_ Slade.

"No," she heard herself croak, rejecting the thought even as it formed. "No," she repeated, stronger this time. "You can't trick me. Even if Brand is your clone, that doesn't make him the same. He's made his own choices, he's his own person!"

Slade turned back to her... and he _smirked_. Raven shuddered to see that expression on his face. Thankfully, he replaced his mask, covering the terribly familiar visage once more. "Come now, Raven," he said, using her real name as if they were co-conspirators. "We both know that's not true."

"She's right, Slade," Brand growled, furious at his powerlessness, his own body a slave of the chip planted in his head sometime during his three-day imprisonment. "I'm nothing like you! It'll take more than some imaginary version of you with my face to make me your apprentice!"

"Do you still think that's what this is about?" Slade asked contemptuously. He glanced between the two of them, both frozen by the strength of his will. "You were never worthy of becoming an apprentice, boy. You're nothing more than a tool. A means to an end, not the end itself."

Raven glared up at the masked man. "What end is that?"

"Yours, dear girl," he said simply. "You succeeded in driving your father away last time. Thanks, in no small part, to my help. But when I turned against Trigon, I made a powerful enemy. One who doesn't forgive, and doesn't forget. He will try and get his revenge on me, and I would not be able to stop him. But Trigon has one, single weakness..." The single eye gazed down at the sorceress with burning intensity. "He cannot come to this realm except through you. The door needs to be closed." He glanced at Brand. "And he will be the one to close it."

The Weapon barked out a harsh laugh. "Like hell I will!"

Slade just shook his head and clasped his hands behind his back again, beginning to pace back and forth between the two. "It's exactly that attitude which brought you to my attention," he said. "You should be incapable of refusing any order I give you, much less _this_ order. It is the reason you were created, as misguided and foolish as Janus was to believe you could ever succeed. A full frontal assault would never work against Raven. Not with the Titans guarding her. Not with her formidable powers. So when your team was sent against her, I _knew_ you would fail. What I didn't expect was for you to help her defeat your comrades."

His masked face looked up at the distant stars. "I admit, I kept my eye on you afterwards. You had survived, but you were still ineffectual. Mediocre. Unsuitable. Until I realized how close you had gotten to sweet Raven. You were uniquely situated, a dagger pointed straight at her heart, just waiting to be wielded. So I lured you into a confrontation, tested you, and implanted this neural copy to provide the will you lacked."

"For someone who claims to be in my head, you don't understand a damn thing about me," Brand snapped. "I've already faced this crisis, Slade. I made my decision."

"Wrong!" Slade shouted, whirling to stand face-to-face with his clone. "A decision was made, but not by you! Because, you see, I _have_ been in your head. I was able to make you do some things without your knowledge, but when I tried to influence you to kill the girl, I found resistance in you, resistance you shouldn't have been capable of. Looking for the reason why, I discovered something very interesting. Would you like to see it?"

Alarm surged through Raven, and Fear, nearly forgotten during the explanation, clung to her shoulders desperately. "Slade," the sorceress growled. Her tone was threatening, but there was a note of pleading in it as well. "Don't do this..."

The masked man spared her a withering look. "I won't 'do' anything. Certainly no more than what you've already done." He turned back towards Brand and put one gauntleted hand on the Weapon's forehead. A vortex of darkness formed around the two of them. Raven tried to stand, tried to stop them, but Fear weighed her down. In a moment, they were gone, and the Titan was alone with her memories, her secrets, and her Fear.

It was too much, even for her. "Brand!" she screamed into the silence.

* * *

Brand's vision cleared gradually, the darkness dissipating like a heavy fog, and he found himself in a familiar place. Memories flooded through him, and a wave of dizziness made him stagger back a step, revealing his paralysis was cured and he was able to move his body again. His relief was short-lived, however, as his sight cleared enough to show the other figures in the small, bare cell he stood in.

Standing at one shoulder was the menacing figure of Slade, but even his presence wasn't the most notable one. That honor was shared by the other two people. The first was his hallucination-induced apparition, the one he had christened "Not-Raven". The second was a duplicate of himself, sitting listless against the wall. Not-Raven flickered around the room like a video with frames missing, jumping from place to place disconcertingly. Sometimes standing in front of the other Brand. Sometimes kneeling beside him. She spoke quietly to the other Brand the entire time, her words too low to be heard, and the other Brand showed no sign of hearing the girl in the pale purple cloak.

"Do you know where you are?" Slade asked. The hair on the back of the Weapon's neck rose, but he nodded his response. Slade asked the next question, as Brand had known he would. "Do you know why you're here?" A shiver ran through the younger man's body, though he didn't quite know the source of the dread he felt. "This is where it started," Slade continued.

* * *

The darkness took them again, and when it cleared, Brand felt intense heat, his eyes ached fiercely as bright sunlight assaulted his vision. He squinted hard, trying to figure out where he was. This time, Raven was standing before him, staring ahead calmly. Too calmly, considering Brand held his sword to her neck. With a gasp, the Weapon yanked his arm back, pulling the blade away from the girl's pale throat.

"I know this place..." he said out loud. He turned to his right and saw what he had been expecting: The tall, broad figure of his former Weapon compatriot Lance.

And yet... not Lance.

Covering the big Weapon's face was a half-black, half-orange mask just like the one Slade wore. Slade himself was nowhere to be seen.

"I don't know what your game is," Brand said, shaken and angry, "but it's not going to work. I won't kill her."

"Is that why you're out here, Brand?" Lance asked, repeating the words he had spoken months ago when this event had actually occurred. Only now, his voice was a strange amalgam of his own and Slade's, both voices speaking the words simultaneously. The effect was chilling, even in the desert heat. "Did she browbeat you into coming with her?" The big man shook his head in mock sadness. "You really are a joke. You had one job and not only did you blow it... you've joined the enemy."

Brand shook his head. "No! I'm making a choice!"

"Wrong, Brand," Lance/Slade said, breaking from his script. "You're being manipulated."

"You can't confuse me, Slade," the Weapon said, glancing at the still, silent image of Raven standing beside him. "The blood chain was a trick, but Weapon turned against me first."

Lance/Slade shook his masked head. "Do you really think Janus would have programmed you to even be able to hold a vendetta against your own organization? Your thoughts are not your own. It doesn't matter if you were dying. It shouldn't have mattered even if I had held my spear to your heart, you would have killed Raven. You _should_ have killed Raven. But you didn't. Haven't you ever wondered why?"

"I haven't," Brand said sharply. "I'm not a machine, Slade, no matter what you or Janus think. I make my own decisions."

A vortex of shadow swallowed him again, leaving only the single word: " _Liar._ "

* * *

The next scene was quick, a mere flash of remembrance. He was back in Weapon headquarters, routing a group of robotic drones. Nearby, Raven and Saber fought fiercely. The female Weapon was just as Brand remembered her, short and lithe, her white hair long and thick, but Slade's mask covered her face. Over the sound of battle, he heard the two young women speak.

"You've got nothing left," Saber/Slade said coldly, her own voice and Slade's mingling uncomfortably. "No power, no friends, no time, no space. It's time to end this mission."

The Titan glared at her, her eyes glowing under the hood of her cloak. "Lance under-estimated me, too," she said. "I notice he's not here right now."

The Weapon girl stared at her icily. "Lance was an idiot and a weakling," she spat. "And Brand is defective."

" _Brand is defective..._ " the words echoed in the blackness which engulfed him like a tide.

* * *

He materialized in the cloning chamber of the Janus facility, Saber/Slade facing him with bared blade, their swords locked in the midst of their battle.

"All they gave us was anger," Saber/Slade was saying. "You're not like other people. You never have been. _We_ never have been." She pushed harder against his sword and Brand felt himself sliding back across the metallic floor. "And you never will be. You'll never fit in with them."

"You're lying," Brand countered, as he had at the time.

Saber/Slade laughed. "Oh, Brand," she said. "I'm the only one who's _not_ lying to you." And, as she had then, she backed away from him, raising her namesake weapon to point at the nearby cloning cylinder. Inside, was the hairless, immature clone of Lance, naked but for the black and orange mask he wore.

"She _was_ telling the truth, Brand," Lance/Slade said, his voice muffled but audible through the cloning solution and the glass of the chamber. "We've done nothing but tell you the truth. It's Raven who's been lying to you. From the very beginning."

Brand shook his head. "Shut up!" he snarled. "You expect me to believe you over her?! I know about you, Slade. I know your tricks."

"My _works_ ," Saber/Slade corrected. "They could be yours, as well. You are, after all, my duplicate."

"Never," Brand swore.

* * *

The memory skipped forward, and the Weapon found himself huddled behind a cluster of equipment, listening to Saber/Slade taunt him. "It would be so easy... you live with them. They trust you. You could get close, take her in a moment of vulnerability, and slide the blade in... But you won't do that, will you? No, of course not. You're still pretending you're a real person. Maybe she's even made you believe you love her." Saber/Slade laughed harshly.

As he had then, Brand leapt out from hiding, sword drawn. Saber/Slade sidestepped him easily, but didn't press her advantage. "What's your fucking point?!" the young man shouted.

The masked girl shook her head. "You never listen, Brand. We've been telling you all along. Everyone can see it. Everyone but you."

"See what?" Brand asked, exasperated.

Before he could react, Saber/Slade stepped forward and grabbed his throat with one hand, her other lifting to hold off Brand's sword-arm. "Weapons are not capable of love," she said, enunciating each word. "You are literally, psychologically, physically _incapable_ of it." The hand around Brand's throat tightened, and the blue eye behind the mask narrowed in fury.

"So how can you 'love' Raven?"

When his vision went dark this time, Brand wasn't sure if it was asphyxiation or another transport.

* * *

He came to back in the cell, only he now sat where the duplicate Brand had been before, Not-Raven standing before him. Looming behind her was Slade, though Not-Raven seemed unaware of him. The image of the sorceress reached forward with her hand, the precursor to supposedly linking the two with the blood chain. The instant before she touched his forehead with her soft fingers, she froze.

"You lost consciousness," Slade reminded him. "And when you awoke, you felt bleary... unsteady. Why?" Brand shook his head, his mouth dry. "If the blood chain was a deception, what _did_ Raven do?"

"Stop it," the Weapon said, squeezing his eyes closed. "I don't want to hear any more."

But Slade wasn't finished. "She's an empath, Brand. She was in your head. You were an enemy, one she needed to use to rescue her friends. There was one way she could guarantee you would not turn against her, a way to get you on her side and keep you there."

Brand grit his teeth, shaking his head in denial. "It's not true," he said, desperation in his voice. "Raven wouldn't do that."

"She already has!" Slade hissed. "The girl went into your mind and altered it... just slightly, so subtle you wouldn't notice. And you have been unable to make your own choices since then." He stepped closer, kneeling at the Weapon's side to deliver the finisher.

"Raven _made_ you love her, Brand. So that feeling you've held so close? The one that's made you disobey orders, change your entire life, risk yourself again and again? It doesn't exist. It never did. It was a lie."

* * *

To Raven, only seconds passed before the dark vortex returned, a fierce wind blowing her and Fear's cloaks back like purple and gray wings, sending a blast of dust washing over them. The funnel vanished and Brand was revealed, slumped on his knees, his head down and his white hair hanging down over his face. Slade was gone.

The sorceress stepped forward uncertainly. "Brand...?" she asked, her voice quiet, tentative.

In response to his name, the Weapon's shoulders twitched. He looked up and Raven gasped. Covering the young man's face was a half-black, half-orange mask, and the one visible blue eye – cold as a December wind – glared at her with hatred and rage.

Raven recoiled, staggering backwards and falling into the arms of Fear. _No..._ she thought, sorrow and guilt enveloping her like freezing water. _Oh, please no._

But the Brand she knew was gone. Destroyed, as Seer had said he would be, by "the one in the mirror".

And Raven knew it was her fault.


	30. Endgame V: Weapon of Choice

" _He's going to kill us!"_ Fear gasped out a panicked breath close to Raven's ear.

" _No! No, he would never do that!"_ Passion argued.

Knowledge spoke up, calm and unflappable. _"We knew he would find out eventually."_

Fear again: _"Look at his eye! The last time we saw that expression, he was..."_

" _Trying to kill us,"_ Rage finished in a growl. _"We must kill him first!"_

" _We should try and talk to him,"_ Joy said brightly. _"He'll listen to us."_

" _Yes!"_ Passion agreed eagerly.

Courage was next. _"Well we have to do_ something. _"_

" _It's over,"_ Sloth yawned. _"There's nothing we can do."_

" _There's nothing we can do..."_ Fear whined.

Raven shoved her clamoring emotions aside as best she could and their words faded to indistinct whispers. All except Fear, who was too close, too worked up to be driven away so easily. The sorceress could feel the emotion pressing near, into her skin, dangerously close to consuming her completely. And no wonder, with Brand, his face covered with Slade's mask, rising to his feet, cold eye filled with rage.

The look was one she had seen before, when Weapon had first attacked the Titans in Jump City. All three of the clones had stared at her with that same expression. At the time, Raven hadn't known the reason, but now she did... the trio had been created specifically to kill her, implanted with hatred and anger to fuel their mission. Whatever Slade had done to the white-haired teen, he had reactivated the Weapon's original programming, augmented with Slade's own drive and thirst for vengeance.

But beyond all of that, Brand now had his own reason for wanting her dead. Instinctively, Raven knew the truth Slade had revealed to him. About how she had used her powers back when she and the Weapon had first met to turn his heart towards her, to guarantee her safety when they traveled and fought together.

And every moment since then, the half-demon had known this moment was coming. She had hoped, months ago, that Brand's path would not cross hers again, that her actions would not come back to haunt her, but fate had not been cooperative. Karma had teamed up with irony to multiply the pain of his return into her life a thousand-fold.

This was the price she had paid for what she had done.

Raven struggled to stand, but she felt weak, debilitated, her sorrow and guilt and fear weighing her down as if her cloak were made of lead. She settled for giving Brand/Slade a steely look with her violet eyes. "Release him, Slade," she said, trying to keep her voice strong and steady. Instead, it was hoarse, cracked with strain.

Courage made a noise of disgust. _"You can do better than that."_

"I'm not controlling him," Brand/Slade said, the voices of both progenitor and clone coming from behind the mask at the same time, speaking the same words. "I have freed him. Freed him from you." He spread his arms, indicating his own body. "And now he is who he was meant to be."

" _Don't believe him!"_ Passion insisted.

"You're lying!" Raven choked, her mouth dry. "Brand is so much more than his programming... More than his mission! I know him."

" _Kill him!"_ Rage screamed. _"Kill them both before he kills us! Rip out his heart if that's what you want, just_ stop him _!"_

She could almost hear the smirk in Brand/Slade's voice. "You know nothing," the masked Weapon said. "All Brand ever was to you was a reflection of your own deception. Everything you thought he was, everything he thought he was... it was a facade. A lie. This is the truth, sweet Raven. Your truth."

The sorceress shook her head, dark hair swaying, slumping closer to the ground. "No," she whispered. "It's not... He's not..."

Fear pressed closer. _"It's hopeless... he's gone..."_

"Now... watch closely, dear girl," Brand/Slade said. She raised her eyes, looking through a curtain of her own hair to see the figure across from her draw his sword. Her amethyst gaze sharpened on the blade, something she had seen dozens of times, but it was different now, flickering and shimmering darkly, as if she couldn't quite focus her eyes on the weapon. "Do you know what this is?" Brand/Slade asked, gloating.

Raven could only stare.

"I did more in those three days than implant the neural copy," the Weapon continued. "I took the opportunity to give Brand a gift: an Nth metal sword." He brandished the blade, the magic-impeding effects of the Thanagarian metal making it flash strangely in this place, as if it were only half there. "Just as I re-created Brand, I've reforged his sword into the perfect weapon to kill you."

" _If we can hold out a little longer..."_ Knowledge supplied.

The emoticlone was right. "You'll never get away with it," Raven said. "The others will be looking for us, they'll figure out where we are, and they'll stop you."

"I considered that," Brand/Slade hissed. "That's why I took control of the boy earlier, before he came to you. He wouldn't let me hurt you, but I was still able to make him do some things. Trust me, the Titans won't be coming. It's just you... and us."

The half-demon was frozen in place, consumed with fear and doubt, only able to watch as the masked teen advanced. But the two of them were in Nevermore, in the seat of Raven's own mind. Even in her current state, she wasn't powerless, and now – like white blood cells fighting an infection – six copies of Raven – red Rage, green Courage, yellow Knowledge, pink Joy, pale purple Passion, and orange Sloth – formed out of the darkness surrounding them and threw themselves onto Brand/Slade.

For a moment, she took heart, watching her emoticlones battling the lone, dark figure of Brand/Slade. Her optimism was short-lived, however. The Weapon threw them aside easily, his Nth sword causing the different-colored copies of Raven to dissipate. They were only images of her emotions, unable to be harmed even by Brand/Slade's blade, but Brand's native skills enhanced by Slade's kept him from being stopped or even slowed by the emoticlones' assault.

Step by step, Brand/Slade advanced, his gaze fixed on the real Raven.

And still she felt herself frozen with hesitation.

* * *

Robin roared through the city on the R-cycle, helmeted head scanning left and right tirelessly, searching for the runaway geomancer. He fought the sense of futility growing within him like a malignant tumor, aided and abetted by frustration at his lack of progress in discovering Slade's plans. There was a sense of being used, like he was dancing to someone else's tune, and he didn't like it. In fact, he was downright sick of it. For too long, he had been letting others call the shots. Slade now, Batman then.

There had been too much of that. Things needed to change. But before any of that could happen, the boy wonder had to lead his friends out of the maze which had been constructed for them. And not just for his own sake. He angled his head back, glancing up at the green streak soaring through the sky: Starfire, covering the eastern section of the city from the air.

A tone sounded in one ear, annoying and insistent, but Robin waited until he was able to pull over before he answered the call, yanking his communicator free from his utility belt. He flipped it open and was greeted with the somber face of Cyborg.

"Any luck?" the masked Titan asked.

"The opposite," Cyborg answered grimly. "The computer finished reconstructing the security footage from Terra's cell. Take a look."

Something in the bionic Titan's tone warned Robin he wasn't going to like what he saw. His premonition was correct. On the small screen, he watched the black and white image, eyes narrowing as Brand entered the room. The Weapon glanced at the camera, then over at the sleeping figure of Terra curled up on the cot of her cell before marching over to the nearby console. With sure, rapid movements, the young man tapped at the keyboard, navigating through a series of menus, making his way into the system. In minutes, the door of the cell clicked open.

Brand glanced at the camera again, then continued his work at the computer for another few moments. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded once and strode out of the room. Not long after, Terra stirred and woke, jerking to awareness as if stabbed. Soon, she spotted the open door and, glancing in all directions, she walked through it and out of frame.

"You changed the codes, didn't you?" Robin asked, his voice sounding faint and far away in his own ears.

"I changed them and encrypted them," Cyborg confirmed.

"Brand isn't a hacker. He couldn't have known how to get through the system."

Cyborg's tone was heavy. "Except apparently he did." He paused. "And if he was lying about that... then what else was he lying about?"

"Damn!" Robin pressed another button, adding Raven to the conversation. "Raven, come in... Raven!"

No response.

His heart sinking, the lead Titan toggled the screen over to the locator. Four blinking dots appeared overlayed onto a map of the city: Himself, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy. There was no sign of Raven or Brand. Not in Jump City, where he had sent them after finding out Terra was missing. Not in the Tower. Where were they?

Cursing again, Robin revved the engine of his cycle, peeling out and making a tight U-turn. "Everyone!" he shouted into the communicator. "Forget about Terra! We're being lured away from the Tower, head back that way!"

Recklessly, the boy wonder weaved through traffic, racing back to Titans' Tower, hoping he wouldn't be too late.

* * *

The emoticlones fought fiercely, rising and attacking again whenever they were tossed aside, reforming and re-entering the fray when Brand/Slade's Nth metal sword dissipated them. Like antibodies, the six copies of Raven were intent on stopping the invading presence in her mind.

But they were failing.

The masked Weapon drew closer. Raven knew her emotions would not be able to stop him. They were, after all, only facets of her personality, fragments of her mind and powers. Some were stronger than others, but even together there were no match for Brand/Slade. To have any chance at all at surviving, she would have to take a role in her defense. And yet she still couldn't make herself move.

It didn't make any sense. The chip in Brand's head, Slade's personality, his neural copy, shouldn't have been able to affect her this way, even inside her mind as it was now. So why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she act? Her limbs were heavy, her eyes stung. She could barely focus her thoughts enough to consider the question. She was helpless, cradled in the arms of Fear.

Amethyst eyes blinked as the phrase bounced around her thoughts: Cradled in the arms of Fear. Held by Fear. Held _back_ by Fear. She gasped at the simplicity of the solution. It wasn't Slade who was keeping her from acting. It was her own emotions.

She knew what the other Titans thought... that her demonic heritage made Rage the most powerful of Raven's emotions. And her anger, her father's legacy, was indeed strong, but it wasn't the strongest, it wasn't the one with the most pull or influence over her actions. That was Fear. It had always been Fear.

The dark-cloaked sorceress had been afraid her entire life. Afraid of her birth, afraid of her powers and her emotions. Afraid of her past, afraid of her future and her destiny. Afraid of failure, afraid of loss. Afraid of being alone and afraid of letting anyone get too close. Afraid of hurting others. Afraid of being hurt or deceived.

Afraid of the truth.

It was that fear which had kept her from telling Brand what she had done. If she had been braver, they might not have reached this point. Was it too late to fix her mistakes?

Raven raised her head. No. She could make her way through this, but it would require her to embrace her fear, and... all the rest. It would change her, she knew, and that frightened her as much as anything else. But – perhaps – this too was destiny.

Shaking off her hesitation, the sorceress rose to her feet. Only a moment had passed. The girl spread her arms, and a bubble of dark energy extended from her center. Brand/Slade raised his sword, and the power broke sparking on the Nth blade, but Raven hadn't intended to catch the Weapon with her magic. The sphere extended, taking in all of her emoticlones, all her emotions and feelings, then it shrank, pulling them back into her.

She felt a rush and gasped in pain/pleasure. The sensation was both familiar and alien... indescribable, a state she had reached only twice before, both times when she had defeated her father. First here in Nevermore, and later when Trigon had manifested on Earth. Her aspect changed, reflecting the union of the disparate parts of her personality and powers. She was clothed now in white.

Brand/Slade tilted his head, curious at this new development, and raised his sword to a ready position. Raven knew she could defeat him, despite the presence of the Nth sword. Here in Nevermore, at the peak of her strength, she had a good chance of beating the Weapon. But she didn't intend to fight him.

She intended to save him.

In a flicker of motion, Raven closed the gap between them, faster even than Brand/Slade could move. He pulled back his sword, the prelude to shoving the blade through her stomach, but before he could complete the attack, she raised one hand to brush her fingers against his forehead.

And the world went white.

* * *

The glow faded, revealing a recreation of the cell in Titans' Tower which lay at the center of Brand's mind. It was pale, leeched of color, as if it were carved of ivory or white ice. Brand himself sat against one wall, limp and listless, a black cloth wrapped around his eyes, covering both ears. A duplicate of Raven in a pale violet cloak knelt next to him, whispering urgently, but – with his vision and hearing blocked – the duplicate's words had no effect.

Raven's lip twitched downward, seeing the mental representation of what her powers had done to the Weapon. Her magic had created this shadow Raven and tasked it with bending Brand's heart and mind to her. It's purpose had been simple and forceful: keep the Weapon from turning against her during their mission to save the Titans from captivity.

Conscious of time slipping away, the sorceress approached and sat across from Brand, within reach. With a gentle touch, she removed the blinders from his eyes, the muffles from his ears. Even behind the cloth, his blue eyes were vacant, empty, his expression dead. The duplicate Raven's entreaties intensified, and the real Titan extended one hand.

With only the briefest hesitation, Raven drew her duplicate back into her own soul, removing her influence from Brand's mind. Her shadow-self vanished, and the sorceress saw Brand's eyes flicker with motion, with acknowledgment.

The half-demon Titan sighed, another emotional burden added to the ones she had already taken as she absorbed her duplicate. But this was the price she would have to pay. And despite the tiny hint of life in the Weapon's gaze, he was still motionless against the wall, without power and will in his own mind.

Or so it seemed.

- _Why...?-_ she heard Brand's voice say, as if from a great distance, faint and echoing.

Her lips tightened. "I'm sorry," she answered, her own words quiet. "I am so sorry, Brand." She looked away from the white-haired young man. "I was alone… desperate. I needed help to save the others and you were the only one available. They mean everything to me. You know this. What I did… was unforgivable, but – if I was given the choice again – I would have done the same thing."

_"You understand then… I did what I had to do."_ The memory of Raven's words echoed in Brand's head, in both their memories.

"Doing what I did to you was bad enough," Raven continued. "But my worst sin was in not telling you. I fooled myself into believing you were a problem that would just go away. But then you came back."

_"I don't want him here,"_ the sorceress remembered what she had said the day Brand had returned, when the Titans had voted to let him stay. It wasn't because she hated him, it was because she had known already that her earlier actions had come back to haunt her and she would have to face what she had done.

She winced at the memory. "I should have told you the truth then, but I was afraid. Afraid that – if I removed the spell – you would try and kill me again. And… you were trying so hard, Brand. You were trying to change, to be better. I didn't want you to backslide. I wanted you to succeed. So I put it off, even though I was worried you were doing what you were doing for the wrong reasons."

_"I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart, Raven. I'm not doing this to impress the other Titans or to stick it to Weapon or because I enjoy fighting for truth and justice. The only reason I'm trying at all is… because of you. Because against all odds, I... respect you."_ This time it was Brand's voice playing back.

" _You need a real reason to change, Brand,"_ Raven's voice said, playing her role in the memory, one of their many arguments. _"Just forget about whatever you think you feel for me, find the better part of yourself, and get on with your own life."_

" _My 'life'?"_ Brand asked as he had then. _"There is no..."_ a hesitation. _"I have no friends, no family, no home, no purpose... I know how to do exactly one thing. So you tell me, Raven... What's left?"_

Her heart ached remembering how they had fought. So much wasted time. The sorceress thought she could see a shadow of reflected pain in the Weapon's eyes. But they had to go through this crucible together, so she continued her explanation. "Jalascis changed my mind," she said. "You put yourself on the line, trying to rescue me, saving Beast Boy, fighting Darkfire… I decided to remove my influence, even though I was still too ashamed to tell you what I had done. I tried to do it without your knowledge, but you refused to let me heal you."

" _This is ridiculous. There's something broken in your head that needs to be fixed, too."_

"I kept telling myself I would eventually let you know, I would have my chance to correct what I had done, but then something unexpected happened… we became friends." A parade of images flashed through their minds: time spent together on the vessel traveling home from Jalascis, Brand supporting her when Raven had taken away Seer's dangerous visions, her discovery of the Weapon's collection of horror books and the revelation of his attempts to understand her better, their kiss on the night of Thanksgiving, their second kiss only a few nights ago.

"And more," the sorceress admitted, her voice hoarse.

Finally, she looked up, meeting Brand's pale blue eyes with her amethyst ones. "Then I realized... I was making excuses. I didn't want to tell you. Because I wanted to believe my own lie." To her own surprise, Raven felt hot tears in her eyes. "It's… hard, Brand, being like this. Being alone. I so wanted to believe someone could feel for me the way you seemed to."

" _That doesn't change what I want,"_ Brand said in their shared memory. " _It's this. Us, working together, talking, sometimes arguing, but all I've looked for – all I wanted since I woke up in that desert – was to be with you."_

He was looking at her now, but she couldn't read his expression, didn't know what emotion it was behind his eyes.

"I became as much a prisoner of my deception as you were," Raven explained. "Because I'm not strong. I'm not brave. I'm as weak and cowardly and alone as anyone else. And you paid the price." She raised a hand and caressed Brand's face, feeling a tear roll down one of her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I wish you had found out from me. I wish it wasn't Slade who had to tell you."

She pulled her hand away, swallowing the lump of emotion in her throat. "But – either way – we're done living lies. Both of us. And you are free. Free to make a decision." Raven stood, and Brand looked up at her, that same unknowable look in his eyes. "It's up to you," she said.

The light consumed them both again.

* * *

Raven slipped back into her body after her escape from Brand's mind to find pressure around her throat, cutting off her breath, keeping her from moving. It was Brand/Slade's hand, choking her. His other hand held the Nth sword, drawn back as a prelude to stabbing her through the stomach.

If she had been able to breathe, the sorceress would have inhaled sharply. She knew this moment, had seen it before, in Seer's mind. The vision of Raven's own death. Some of the details were different, but this posture, Brand's sword being pushed into her middle, she had _seen_ this. And if the precog's vision of Brand had been correct, then so might her other vision, and the Titan could be looking at her own death.

Even now, Raven stared into the masked face of the young man she had grown so close to, facing him without fear. If it was to end here, at least she had told Brand her feelings. She did not plead, did not beg, did not try and convince the Weapon to spare her. It was as she had told him: it was his decision to make.

Brand/Slade's hand tightened, squeezing her neck. His knuckles creaked as they gripped his sword, the blade which could pierce her magical defenses, disrupt her powers, and kill her. She had traded her opportunity to fight or escape, making herself vulnerable for her one chance to enter the Weapon's mind. Raven had known that all along. Brand/Slade's muscles tensed, his entire body like a coiled spring. The one, icy eye glared at her.

When he moved, it was sudden, faster than Raven had imagined. Brand/Slade released her throat and reached up to his own face, his hand trembling with strain. His fingers slipped under the edge of Slade's mask and _ripped_ it off. The sorceress let out a sigh that was half sob, relieved beyond words to see Brand regaining control of himself.

His teeth were bared in a snarl and he tossed the mask aside. The Weapon backed away, shaking himself as if he could clear himself of Slade's influence so simply. He sheathed the Nth sword, shooting Raven a nod before turning to where he had thrown the mask, which had never struck the ground. It floated, hovering over six feet off the ground, oriented towards Brand and Raven.

"You treacherous little fool!" Slade's voice came from the discarded mask. "You dare to turn against me?"

Brand set himself in a combat stance. "I dare," he said, his voice rough and strained.

Slade's body formed behind the mask, tall and dark and imposing. "Do you understand what you're doing, boy?" he asked coldly. "You have a purpose, a purpose _I_ gave you. But you'd turn your back on that and believe Raven's lie? Has she so clouded your mind?"

"Maybe once," Brand admitted. "But not anymore. It's like I told you, Slade. I'm making a choice!"

"You are incapable of making a 'choice', traitor!" Slade snapped. "You are a weapon! _My_ weapon!"

"Never again!" the white-haired young man shouted. "I won't be used by you, Slade. And if that means choosing Raven's lie over your truth, then that's a choice I'll make _gladly_."

The sorceress took a step closer to Brand. "When will you learn, Slade?" she asked. "You can't compel people to do what you want. Robin turned against you. Terra turned against you. Now Brand. They are who they want to be, not what you try and make them!"

"It's over," Brand said, the words low. Final.

Slade shook his masked head. "No, Brand," he said, cold and calm again. "It will never be over. Not until you fulfill your directive. I'm here, and here I'll stay. The chip in your head cannot be removed without killing you. I will always be with you, in every dark corner of your mind. You can never escape."

Raven and Brand glanced at each other in a moment of perfect understanding. The slightest hint of a smirk formed on the Weapon's face and her lips curled a bit in response. The sorceress reached out and found Brand's hand with her own. They faced Slade together, hand in hand, forming a united front.

"You just don't get it," Raven began.

"Maybe you will always be waiting for me in the dark, Slade," Brand continued. "But you forget… it's not all dark anymore!" He yanked free the T-sword, a weapon that wasn't made to kill, and Raven imbued it with her power, the white energy her unified self produced.

They moved together, as one, advancing on Slade. Brand swung the T-sword and – when it touched the masked avatar of his progenitor – it flared with light. In that bright glow, Slade vanished like a shadow at noon. The whiteness spread, consuming all of Raven's mindscape, taking Brand and the sorceress, still holding hands, out of Nevermore.

* * *

Robin raced up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time, foregoing the elevator, outpacing the others. He heard Cyborg pounding after him, knew Beast Boy and Starfire were also following, but he couldn't wait. He had allowed himself to be distracted, and now one of his friends was in horrible danger. He had left Raven in the worst possible situation. Alone.

When he reached the residential floor, he darted down the hall, skidding to a stop in front of the heavy door to Raven's room. In an almost unseemly haste, he jabbed the door release. Locked. Of course. Gritting his teeth, he punched in an override, but that, too, failed. The lead Titan slammed a fist against the wall. He had forgotten, Cyborg had changed all those codes, at his request.

The others were catching up now. Starfire was closest.

"Star, get this door open!" Robin commanded, regretting his tone, but unable to take the time to apologize.

She did not hesitate. She understood his mood, shared it. Using all the incredible strength of her Tamaranean heritage, she grabbed the thick door and ripped it straight out of the wall. Even as she did, Robin rushed into the dim room, which was lit only with guttering candles.

It was also empty.

The other Titans crowded behind him. "Are we too late?" Cyborg asked.

As if triggered by his words, a bright light shone from the mirror resting on Raven's desk, a light that completely filled the room, so intense all the Titans had to turn away, guarding their eyes with hands or arms. When the glow faded, there were two more figures in the chamber.

Raven and Brand, alive, well, with linked hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Phew, there we go. One more chapter to go. There's a lot I want to talk about here since I'm going to be commenting on both "Revelation" and "Weapon of Choice", so bear with me.
> 
> "Revelation" - The opening was something I added on a lark after I uploaded the document to the website. I felt like - this being so close to the end - it would be useful to have a recap of what had happened thus far. Putting it in a "fairy tale" style was an ironic joke, seeing as - as revealed at the end of the chapter - Raven and Brand's relationship was hardly a fairy tale romance.
> 
> You might have noticed that - since Brand's fight with Slade in the cave - there has not been a Brand POV in the story. That was intentionally done in an attempt to keep the question alive about what, exactly, Slade had accomplished. Was Brand his apprentice? By staying out of his "thoughts" I was trying to keep up that tension.
> 
> The reveal of Fear and then of Slade was, like so much of this chapter, an image that was there from pretty early on. If you go back to chapter one, you'll see that it's the first "breadcrumb" quote I used: "You're afraid of me."
> 
> The Robin interrogation scene was - admittedly - me covering up a plot hole I had accidentally left in "Suspicion". I forgot to have Brand be asked what happened during the three days he was missing. This solution was relatively elegant and had a little bit of foreshadowing ("he knew exactly what to say to get into my head"), as well as handling the other thing I needed to happen, the reveal of Terra's escape.
> 
> The next scene is one of my big, dialogue-heavy exposition scenes. Much like in the Janus arc, there's a lot of information to cover and I tried to get as much as I could done through people talking. The neural copy is - I admit - inspired heavily by a similar plot device in Farscape, though it's also not dissimilar to the chip used in "Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker", right down to it being Cadmus tech. As for Brand being Slade's clone, I never thought this would be a big reveal to the readers. Anyone even remotely familiar with the Deathstroke character (or even Ravager) knows what he looks like, the white hair and blue eyes. I'd also foreshadowed the similarity way earlier in the story, as early as Chapter 5, when Killshot hits Brand with the barrel of a gun and blood pours down one side of his face, giving the imagery of the half-and-half mask. The same thing happens in Chapter 8, "A Bad Day". In Chapter 10, "Terra (Firma)", Brand unconsciously quotes Slade several times.
> 
> So yeah, it was never about fooling the readers. Instead, I chose to focus on how the reveal would affect Raven, how she would feel when she realized she had been - essentially - kissing Slade. I especially like the part where Slade smirks. The asshole. But I think Slade's motives here are actually pretty understandable. If there's anything he would fear, it'd be Trigon, because Slade really did screw him over. Killing Raven would prevent Trigon from crossing over and being able to take his revenge.
> 
> Enough beating around the bush, we're gonna talk about the big reveal, the one I'd been keeping in my pocket since Chapter 1. Now, for the uninitiated, in the "New Teen Titans" comics of the 80's, Raven actually did do something similar to Kid Flash to keep him on the team since she knew the Titans would need his powers. It caused a lot of angst then, too. But she is - canonically - capable of manipulating people's emotions. Again, her motivations make sense. If she hadn't done what she did, Brand would have tried to kill her, and he certainly wouldn't have helped her. Now the presentation of the scene has a couple different influences. As usual, Farscape is a big one. The biggest one - in this case - was episode 11 of the anime Ergo Proxy, "In the White Darkness". A lot of the "visuals" I used in Brand's mind and memories were from this, most notably the idea of the ubiquitous Slade mask appearing on Lance and Saber.
> 
> I wanted to write that scene for a long time, and - for once - it turned out as good as I hoped it would.
> 
> "Weapon of Choice" - First off, I love the title for this chapter. It's another one of those things that just works so perfectly.
> 
> Perhaps coincidentally, I started playing "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice" shortly before starting this chapter. If you haven't, watch a trailer for the game to see why this is relevant to the start of "Weapon of Choice". I might've written it the same way regardless, but the voices whispering, talking, pleading, screaming at Raven are similar to the kind of thing that happens in "Hellblade".
> 
> At any rate, enjoy, review, and thanks for reading. Next week is the final chapter of "... Love and Hate", "An Ending and a Beginning".


	31. An Ending and a Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is it. Felt pretty weird clicking the button to mark this story as "Complete". Let's start with a soundtrack song.
> 
> Another Raven/Brand song: "Angel" - Theory of a Deadman

Robin raised one arm in a block, diminishing the power of his opponent's punch, though it still made him wince in pain. Without thinking, he back-flipped away from the follow-up kick, a lifetime of acrobatics making the triple flip look easy. Even as he landed, however, the other fighter was already there, as fast as ever. The boy wonder weaved away from another kick, then aimed his own punch at his opponent's face.

His fist landed solidly in Brand's palm, and the Weapon's hand closed tightly around the fist, locking it down. The white-haired teen drew back his other hand for a haymaker blow and…

Didn't deliver it.

"You've gotten better," Robin said, his breathing deep but steady, feeling sweat trickle down his brow. This latest sparring match had been quite a workout. His arms and legs stung from the strikes he had blocked.

Brand's breath was like a metronome, but the boy wonder was pleased to see the other teen sweating as well. They had both been fighting hard. "Have I?" the Weapon asked, releasing Robin's hand and staring at him with earnest seriousness. "Did I actually improve, or is it…?"

A sigh escaped from the masked Titan's lips. "Probably both," he admitted. "The way you fight is… closer to what I remember from battling Slade, but it might just be you. You've been here for a while, learning from all of us, sharpening your skills." He shook his head. "I can't tell for sure if the chip is affecting your fighting."

"Yeah," Brand grunted. "That's how it is for me, too. I can't tell if he's still there or if I'm imagining things." He looked away. "Sometimes I don't know which would be worse."

Robin hesitated only a moment before putting a friendly hand on the Weapon's shoulder. It had taken several days a lot of explanation – mostly from Raven – but the lead Titan was as sure as he could be that Brand had not betrayed them after all. At least not willingly. "I'm sorry we couldn't take the chip out of your head," he said. "Maybe STAR Labs might be able to -"

"Doubtful," Brand interrupted. "Slade told me it wouldn't be possible to remove without killing me."

"You could still try," Robin insisted, removing his hand.

A nod. "Maybe I will." A few seconds passed. "Thanks again for… everything."

"Don't mention it."

Brand flashed a brief smirk - one that said "I won't" - before turning to the door of the gym. After a few steps, he stopped and spun back to face him. "Tell me something," he said slowly. "When did you know?"

"Know what?" the boy wonder asked.

"About my connection to Slade. And I'm not talking about the neural copy."

Robin kept his face and voice carefully neutral. "What makes you think I knew?" Brand just stared, putting his hands on his hips. "I didn't _know_ ," the masked Titan said at last. "I guessed. I broke Slade's mask once. I saw his face, and when I saw you and the other Weapons, I saw the resemblance between him and you." A tight smile crossed the dark-haired teens face. "Besides, you've _always_ fought like he did."

"Then why did you let me stay?" Brand asked, not challenging, but curious.

"For the same reason I told the others when we voted," Robin explained with a shrug. "If you were up to something, I'd rather have you where I could see you then behind my back. But, for what it's worth, I never thought you were irredeemable. I figured we could turn you around, get you on our side. And you passed the test."

The Weapon smiled sardonically. "Well you were right." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his black-and-yellow communicator. "What about this?" he asked. "Was this part of the test?"

"No," Robin said soberly. "You earned that. And you're keeping it."

"Well then," Brand said with a chuckle. "If there's trouble, you know who to call." With a lazy wave of one hand, he turned and walked away.

* * *

Cyborg was deep under the T-car, adjusting its suspension, when he heard footsteps approaching, echoing across the floor of the tower's garage. "Hey, just in time!" he exclaimed. "Can you hand me the torque wrench?" Several seconds passed, and the bionic Titan could hear someone rooting around in the pile of tools before the long arm of the wrench appeared under the edge of his car. "Thanks."

It was another minute before he finished the step he was on, taking his time to get it right, knowing that if it was an emergency, his visitor would have said something by now. Finally, he slid out from under the T-car to see who it was. To his mild surprise, he found Brand standing a few feet away, staring at the vehicle with an expression of almost longing.

"Sorry, man," Cyborg said with a grin that suggested he was anything but. "Only I can drive her."

Brand smiled back faintly. "Yeah, that's what Raven told me back… when we first met." He shook his head. "She is a beauty, though."

The big Titan's grin broadened, and he couldn't help but wonder if the Weapon was talking about the car or the sorceress. As much as he enjoyed razzing the other teen, he let the comment pass this time. "What brings you down here?"

"Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about," Brand said, looking uncomfortable.

Cyborg raised his metal hands, shaking his head. "Oh, hey, I'm flattered and all, but I only think of you as a friend." Brand glared at him and Cyborg relented, lowering his arms.

"I'm serious," the Weapon said. "It's about… what I am." The bionic Titan pursed his lips and nodded. They had all finally heard the story about Janus and how they had created Brand, Saber, and Lance as imperfect clones of Slade. "I always knew that Weapon had done something to me," the white-haired teen continued, gazing up at the ceiling. "I knew I wasn't… normal, but it wasn't until I found out I was a clone that it really affected me."

"It still messes me up sometimes," Brand admitted. "When I let myself think about it too much, but there's something that always managed to help me." He glanced at Cyborg with a pair of keen blue eyes. "Whenever I felt like I was less than human, I remembered that I had an example of someone who must live with that feeling every day. Someone who manages to be the most human person I've ever met."

The big Titan's jaw dropped at the unusual show of sentimentality. "Ah, well..." he said, rubbing at the back of his neck with one titanium hand.

Brand smirked. "You've given me a hard time since the moment I came back to Jump City," he said. "But you always kept me on my toes."

"Hey, now, where's all this coming from?" Cyborg asked. The Weapon shrugged.

"Everything that's been going on," he said vaguely, backing towards the elevator. "It's just given me a lot to think about."

Cyborg stared at the other teen as he stepped back into the elevator. "Keep this up, and I might give you one of the good rooms after all," he called out as the doors closed on Brand's laugh.

* * *

He knew he had the TV up too loud, the looping music and digital combat sounds noisy through the big speakers on either side of the screen. He also knew he was sitting too close, his eyes darting back and forth to keep up with all the action on the display. Raven would have scolded him. Robin, too, come to think of it, but Beast Boy didn't care. He needed to lose himself in the comfortable familiarity of his video games.

The changeling's gloved hands manipulated the controller with unconscious ease, even though he was barely thinking about the fighting game he was playing. He was trying not to think of anything. It wasn't until he got kicked back to the character select screen and saw that the "Player 2" icon was lit that he realized he wasn't alone.

A quick glance back revealed Brand sitting on the sofa, examining the controller he had picked up as if he could figure out the controls so simply. After a moment, he managed to choose a character. A sword-user, of course. Beast Boy felt a grin cross his face. "Seriously?" he asked. "Have you even played before?"

The Weapon raised an eyebrow. "Faster reflexes, remember?"

Beast Boy vaulted himself backwards from the floor over the coffee table and back onto the U-shaped couch. "Your funeral," he cackled. The first round was short, and the changeling won without taking a hit. The second was almost identical, but Brand managed to land a single punch.

A deep frown split Brand's face when the younger teen looked at him again. "Rematch," Brand said.

Four more fights went by without much change. By the fifth, however, the Weapon was beginning to figure out how to play, and Beast Boy's smile shrunk as his rhythm was broken and Brand began to hit with more and more of his attacks. On the tenth round, Brand won, leaving the score for the current bout at one and one. The eleventh fight, the tiebreaker, was a vicious, brutal match that had both players fighting at the limits of their skills.

Beast Boy barely won.

"Got you!" the changeling crowed, lifting the controller above his head like a trophy. "You're not bad for someone who never played before today."

Brand grunted a response, still a bit miffed at losing. Beast Boy shrugged and used the center button of the controller to shut off the gaming console, leaning back against the couch. They sat there in silence for a moment before the Weapon spoke. "Any luck finding her?"

The green-skinned Titan shook his head, staring out beyond the TV, beyond the windows and out over the city. "No," he said quietly. "She didn't even stop at her foster parents' house. Terra could be anywhere by now."

"I feel… responsible," Brand admitted. "I let her out."

"Yeah, but that was Slade controlling you," Beast Boy argued. "Besides… you opened the door, I'm the one that chased her away." He looked down at his shoes. "I shouldn't have said anything to her. Or I should have played along like everything was normal. Anything but say what I did. The last thing Terra wanted was to be closed away, poked and examined by doctors. Of course she'd run away if she thought that was what was going to happen to her." His hands curled into fists.

It was another several seconds before Brand spoke. "I don't know if this helps, but… I don't think she was completely crazy. I think that whatever Slade did to me, he tried to do to her. So when she talked about hearing him speaking to her, she was telling the truth." The Weapon took a deep breath. "It's possible he even influenced her to block off the cave when I fought Slade and to run away when I opened her cell."

Another brief silence. "I don't know if it helps either," Beast Boy said at last, glancing over at the older teen. "But it's something." Brand gave him a half-smile and stood, stretching. "Hey," the changeling said. "Maybe we can play again sometime."

Brand hesitated, then nodded. "Sure."

* * *

It was cold outside, a bracing December day, but it was bright, clear, cloudless, and the low temperature had no effect on Starfire. She had not even bothered to wear anything over her usual brief attire. Even the coldest winter seemed warm compared to the depths of space where Tamaraneans could travel unaided. So the red-haired alien enjoyed the sunny day as she would any other, soaring through the blue skies, letting the joy of flight thrum through her body.

She dropped down to the surface of the bay, tilting to one side and letting a hand trail in the freezing water, giggling at the momentary, fragmented rainbows her passage caused. _Truly, Earth is a beautiful place_ , she marveled. The Tamaranean corkscrewed around Titans' Tower until she reached the roof. A smile as radiant as the sun lit her face as she recognized the figure standing atop the building; one of her compatriots.

"Friend Brand!" she exclaimed happily, floating over to where he stood and allowing her booted feet to touch the surface. "Did you also come outside to enjoy the weather?"

The Weapon half-smiled, huddled in his dark jacket, which he held tight around himself, his head burrowed down to get the most of his body heat. "Not so much," he said. His chin lifted in a nod to indicate the open sky. "You looked like you were having fun, though."

"Indeed," Starfire said. "It is _most_ enjoyable to fly on such a day. The wind, the water, the view, the freedom… Glorious!"

"It sounds nice," Brand admitted. He wasn't looking at her, however, but out into the distance, over the streets and buildings of Jump City.

The Tamaranean tilted her head at him curiously. "Would you like me to take you up?" she asked. "I assure you, carrying you would not present a difficulty."

Brand's hands came out of his pockets, lifting palms-out as if to ward her off. "No thanks," he said quickly. "I, uh… haven't quite earned my wings yet."

"'Earned your wings'?" the red-headed alien mused. "Do humans also go through the Transformation? Will you obtain your wings at some future time?" Laughter was the other teen's response. Starfire could only stare at his fit of mirth until it subsided. "Did I say something amusing?"

"Always," the Weapon responded with a grin. He looked away again. "You've been friendly to me from the very start," he said. "Way before I deserved it. And… because you were so kind, I never wanted to hurt your feelings or be harsh with you." He paused. "You made me be a better person."

Starfire was still confused about many Earthling customs, terminology, and behaviors, but she was no fool. "You are saying farewell." It was not a question.

The other teen shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"I see," she murmured. "You, too, seek the freedom of flight."

He made a face, but still couldn't look at her. "You make it sound like I'm running away."

"Those were not the words I used," Starfire corrected him. "But tell me, have you spoken to Raven?"

"I was… going to leave a note." Brand winced even as the words left his mouth. "It isn't easy, you know?" he added lamely.

The Tamaranean marched across the roof, closing the several feet between them. She put her hands on Brand's shoulders and forced him to look at her. "I never truly believed you would hurt any of the Titans," she said. "If you had, you would not have found me so kind. That has not changed. If you hurt any of the others… if you hurt Raven, our own friendship will end." The Weapon could only stare at her. "Please," Starfire continued. "If you must go, talk to her first." She released him and stepped back, regarding him with her green-on-green eyes.

Brand took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right," he said.

* * *

The halls of the tower seemed somehow longer and quieter than usual, almost unfamiliar to Raven, though she had been living there for almost two years now. Then again, everything seemed slightly different since she and Brand had escaped Nevermore. Since she had stopped compartmentalizing her emotions and pushing them away. Although the sorceress looked the same as she ever did, dressed again in her black leotard and dark blue cloak, she was – in subtle ways – changed.

She remembered several weeks ago when she and Brand had said goodbye to Seer, after Raven had sealed away the young girl's visions. _"It'll be hard,"_ she had said. _"You have to live like the rest of us now."_

That was how she felt. More human than she ever had before. It was frightening at times. A life of strict self-control could not be tossed aside so easily, but Raven had made her decision deep in the depths of her own mind when she had known that accepting her feelings was the only way to save Brand and herself. Her father had been defeated, her destiny unbound. It was time to stop being afraid of her emotions and start _living_.

Even if it hurt.

The Titan reached her destination and paused outside the thick metal door which marked Brand's room, hugging the item she had brought with her to her chest: a collection of Bram Stoker stories for him to add to his small stash of horror novels. Would he appreciate the gift? Would he even want anything from her? After what she had done to him? When they had defeated Slade together, she had felt as close to the Weapon as she had ever felt to anybody, but since then…

A sudden fit of nerves overtook her. She placed the book in front of rolling vault door and took a step back, preparing to retreat. He would talk to her when he was ready or not at all.

"Raven?" Brand's voice interrupted her musings. Not from in front of her, but to her right. With unconscious ease, the sorceress kept herself from jumping at the startling sound, instead turning her head with almost regal slowness to see the other teen standing there, his cheeks red from the cold and maybe something else. "What are you doing here?"

To her irritation, she found her throat was dry. "I came here to give you something," she said, keeping her violet gaze locked on his. "Before you left."

Brand's mouth dropped open, and the color in his cheeks deepened. "You knew?"

"You've been avoiding me," she answered, unable to quite keep the hurt out of her voice. "And I talked to Beast Boy and Cyborg… they told me how weird you've been acting." She felt her stare falter, slipping away from the Weapon's face. "I want you to know I don't hold it against you." The words were coming out faster now. "I understand if you can't forgive me for what I did, if you don't want to stay here because of me."

"No, no, wait a minute," Brand said, stepping closer, not quite within arms' reach. "You've got me all wrong, Raven." He sighed. "Well half wrong anyway. I _am_ leaving, and maybe I have been avoiding you, but it's not for the reason you think." She lifted her eyes to his again, waiting for an explanation. "The thing is… I'm still worried. Worried about whether Slade is still in my head. Sometimes I think I can hear him, whispering to me, trying to get me to kill you. Whether it's real or I'm just being paranoid, I can't take that chance. I won't take that chance again."

He took another step closer and hesitantly reached out to take her hand. She let him, feeling her face warm. "So I need to get away from here for a while. Until I'm sure I have this under control. Until I know I won't do anything to hurt you."

Raven bit her lip, feeling a strange pressure in her chest. "You won't hurt me," she said, barely loud enough to hear.

"I almost did," he reminded her, pain coloring his words. "But there's something else, too. Something you told me when you were in my head." He squeezed her hand. "You said I was free. Since Janus activated me, I've been under someone else's programming or compulsion." A brief smile. "Some more pleasant than others. But it's time I do something with that freedom, figure out who I am, who I want to be. Make some choices."

Brand closed the remaining foot between them, leaning his head down until their foreheads touched, staring into her eyes. "You're the one who taught me that, Raven. I could never blame you for what you did. If you hadn't, I'd be dead or a tool in Janus's hands. You gave me a chance I never would've gotten another way."

"You surpassed my expectations," Raven said with a flicker of a smile, though she felt tears in her eyes. She paused. "I don't want you to leave," she admitted, unable to escape the irony of the words, the complete opposite of what she had said when the Titans had voted to give him sanctuary.

He smiled at her, and she had the feeling he was sharing the same memory. "I'll be back," he promised. He took her other hand. "And you know why?" he asked, his voice lowering. She shook her head against his. "Because my feelings for you are as real as they need to be." He leaned down further, and Raven felt herself straining up, but he pulled back right before they kissed, a smirk on his face.

"What are you…?"

"The last time we did this," he whispered teasingly, "you said we couldn't."

The girl felt her lips curl in a genuine smile. "I changed my mind," she said, rising up on her toes to brush her lips against his. This kiss wasn't quick or desperate or tentative, it was deep and long, filled with all the emotions and words that neither of them were quite willing to say yet. The Raven of a week ago would have been too wary of her own feelings to allow such a thing.

" _It'll be hard,"_ she heard herself in her memories, warning Seer. _"You have to live like the rest of us now."_

But now she remembered the girl's response. _"I think it's exciting."_ Finally Raven understood what she had meant.

At last, they broke apart, both flushed and breathing hard, bodies pressed together. "I'm coming back," Brand said again, his voice rough.

Raven nodded. "I know."

* * *

Jump City was behind him now, receding into the distance as he drove along a lonely stretch of highway, the very same road he and Raven had taken so long ago when they had gone to rescue the Titans. Like then, Brand was astride a motorcycle, a parting gift from Robin, though the Weapon had never discovered just where the lead Titan got the money for such things. _Probably has rich parents_ , he thought.

Either way, he was grateful. For the transportation and for the helmet and thick riding jacket which diminished the effect of the cold wind rushing past him. Maybe he'd go south first, stop by Bridgetown before continuing to warmer climes. And then…

Who knew?

When he had first left the Titans behind, Brand had wandered without a destination and without a purpose. He had nowhere to go and nothing to do except survive. On the surface, nothing had changed. The world was open and full of possibilities, but one important thing was different: He had a home to go back to now.

And someone waiting for him to return.

Under the dark visor of his helmet, Brand grinned. He felt... light.

_**~FIN~** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Two more songs...
> 
> Final Scene: "Life in Technicolor" - Coldplay
> 
> End Credits: "How Did You Love?" - Shinedown
> 
> Phew... there we are. Thirty-one chapters. Over 150,000 words. It's a completed novel. Psychologically, although it is only fanfiction, actually finishing a novel-length project is pretty exciting. It's encouraging. It shows me that - with patience - it may be something I can do again in the future. Perhaps with something more lucrative.
> 
> Just as important, I'm glad I was able to finish the story for my readers. I always hated the idea of starting a long story like this and being unable to complete it. As a reader, I know how frustrating that can be. It wasn't easy, and there were a few times where I almost wasn't able to keep to my schedule, but I never actually missed a week. I hit my self-imposed deadlines.
> 
> (For anyone interested in the process side of my writing, one little tidbit that I've touched on previously is the points where there were long pauses in composition. The first was after Chapter 5... I got through the first scene of "sancTuary" and stopped for a long time. The next spurt of writing brought me to the beginning of Chapter 13, "Conflict". When I picked it up again, I was able to complete the Citadel arc and make it all halfway through Chapter 21. I started writing again, but only managed to finish Chapter 23, "Sacrifice". For a while, I thought that would be it, but I forced myself to finish up, taking me from Chapter 24, "Aftermath", all the way to 31, "An End and a Beginning".)
> 
> I'll quickly go over my thoughts for this last chapter, then I'll go to the big question. "An End and a Beginning" was mostly about creating a framework for the last two scenes, the scenes that I knew had to be there. Endgame is very Raven-and-Brand-centric, so I thought I would take some time in the last chapter to spend some time in everyone else's POV as well, hence the "goodbye" scenes. I liked these, and I hope you all did, too. The final two scenes, as mentioned, are the meat and potatoes of the chapter, especially the Raven POV. It's a little bittersweet, but the two of them do finally share their feelings and a proper kiss. Both of them have changed, but both are optimistic. For some reason, the image of Brand riding away on a motorcycle with the above-mentioned song was always the one I wanted to close out the story with, and I like the... circularity of it. He ends where he began, but better.
> 
> Now it's time to address the question or the implication that several people have made: Is there more?
> 
> Sorry to say, but there's a 90% chance I won't be adding any more to "The Edge Between...". At the same time, this was conceived as a four-part series - Love and Hate, Life and Death, Good and Evil, and Beginnings and Endings. A good portion of that is even outlined, and I certainly know the major plot points of each part. The reason I went ahead and wrote "Love and Hate" is because it's the only one of the four parts that works on its own, as a stand-alone story with a start and a finish. Now there are plot threads left hanging even so, such as Terra and Red X, but - for the most part - "Love and Hate" functions as a self-contained story.
> 
> Unfortunately, as fun as writing this story has been, it's just too much effort for something that I do for free. I don't regret writing it by any means... I really wanted to get Brand's story out there and stretch my writing muscles, but the idea of doing this three more times is just too overwhelming. Even worse would be starting the task and never finishing, which I don't think would be fair to you all either.
> 
> So most likely, this is it. Thank you all for reading, for reviewing, for sharing some of your time with me and my story. I really appreciate it.
> 
> Thanks again.


End file.
